Tsurugitachi moroha no toki ni ashi fumite shinaba shinamu yo kimi ni yorite wa

剣大刀諸刃の利きに足踏みて
死なば死なむよ君によりては

Roma-ji: Tsurugitachi moroha no toki ni ashi fumite shinaba shinamu yo kimi ni yorite wa
English Translation: Of a sword's keen edge,
on the sharp, twin-bladed steel
I would set my foot,
and if I die, then let me die,
if it is for your sake
Meaning: I would set my foot upon the sharp double edge of a sword and die, if die I must, so long as it is for you.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2498

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
For the beloved's sake, the speaker would set a foot on a sword's sharp double edge and die without regret, declaring a love staked on life itself. The sharp, concrete image of stepping on the blade conveys the intensity of the feeling.
This poem speaks through the sword, and the next poem also sings of "tsurugitachi," so two poems on swords are placed together. This poem uses the blade itself, while the next uses the sword as a pillow word for "name," handling the same word in two different ways.
The author is unknown; according to the left note, the poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection. That collection is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he recorded. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jito and Emperor Monmu, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "tsurugitachi": refers to a sword or long blade. It is often used as a pillow word, but here it calls up the "double edge" of the second line and depicts the sword itself.
Second line, "moroha no toki ni": "upon the keen edge of its two blades." "Toki" refers to the sharpness of a blade.
Third line, "ashi fumite": "setting my foot upon it." Through this line the poem renders the resolve to lay down one's life as a concrete act.
Fourth line, "shinaba shinamu yo": "if I die, then let me die." Repeating the same verb strengthens the resolve, and "yo" states it outright. The poem pauses here.
Fifth line, "kimi ni yorite wa": "if it is for your sake." Standing in inverted order with the fourth line, it gives the reason for staking one's life afterward and so closes the poem.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Hayahito no na ni ou yogoe no ichishiroku wa ga na wa noritsu tsuma to tanomase
Next Poem: Wagimoko ni koishi watareba tsurugitachi na no oshikeku mo omoi kanetsu mo