Mimoro no kami no obaseru hatsusegawa mio shi taezu wa ware wasureme ya

みもろの神の帯ばせる泊瀬川
水脈し絶えずは我れ忘れめや

Roma-ji: Mimoro no kami no obaseru hatsusegawa mio shi taezu wa ware wasureme ya
English Translation: Round Mimoro's god
wound as a sash it flows,
the Hatsuse River;
while its current never fails,
how could I ever forget?
Meaning: As long as the current of the Hatsuse River, worn as a sash by the god of Mimoro, never fails, how could I forget?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems 1770

Headnote: "Two poems from a banquet held on the banks of the Miwa River when Lord Ōmiwa was appointed governor of Nagato"
As long as the Hatsuse River, which the god of Mount Miwa wears as a sash, flows without fail, the speaker vows never to forget this place and these people. Invoking the sacred mountain and river of home, he expresses an unchanging heart.
According to the headnote, this is the first of two poems from a farewell banquet on the banks of the Miwa River when Lord Ōmiwa was appointed governor of Nagato. The author is not recorded, though some read it as the feeling of Lord Ōmiwa himself as he departed. According to the left note, these two poems come from an old collection. Lord Ōmiwa is thought to be Ōmiwa no Takechimaro, appointed governor of Nagato in the second year of Taihō (702). Takechimaro is known for remonstrating against Empress Jitō's progress to Ise because it would hinder farm work.

The first line, "round Mimoro's god," refers to Mount Miwa, a place where gods descend.
The second line, "wound as a sash it flows," uses the honorific se, likening the river at the mountain's foot to the god's sash.
The third line, "the Hatsuse River," names the river at the foot of Mount Miwa, also called the Miwa River.
The fourth line, "while its current never fails," includes the emphatic shi.
The final line, "how could I ever forget?" is rhetorical, with me, the realis of mu, and ya.
Source: Manyoshu
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