Narukami no sukoshi toyomite furazu tomo wa wa todomaramu imo shi todomeba

鳴る神の少し響みて降らずとも
我は留まらむ妹し留めば

Roma-ji: Narukami no sukoshi toyomite furazu tomo wa wa todomaramu imo shi todomeba
English Translation: Even if the thunder
should rumble just a little
and no rain should fall,
I would stay here by your side,
if only you would keep me
Meaning: Even if the thunder rumbles a little and no rain falls, I will stay, if only you ask me to.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2514

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Questions and Answers"
Even without rain, the man answers the woman's wish in the preceding poem, he will stay if she will only hold him back. Needing no excuse of rain, only a word from her, he shows sincerity and gentleness toward the one he loves.
This is the answer in the exchange joined to the preceding poem by the left note "the two poems above." Taking over the preceding poem's first and second lines as they are and continuing with "furazu tomo," it answers as if to set aside her "will the rain not fall?" Her "I would keep you here" and his "if you would keep me" echo one another, so that question and answer form a matched pair.
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, "narukami no": "the thunder." It takes over the first line of the preceding poem unchanged, making clear that this answers her poem.
Second line, "sukoshi toyomite": "rumbling a little." Repeating the same line, it takes up the sky she wished for.
Third line, "furazu tomo": "even if no rain falls." The particle "tomo" marks a concessive hypothesis, answering her "will the rain not fall?" by saying no pretext is needed.
Fourth line, "wa wa todomaramu": "I will stay." The auxiliary "mu" expresses intention. The poem breaks after the fourth line, with the condition placed after it in inversion.
Fifth line, "imo shi todomeba": "if you keep me." The particle "shi" stresses "imo," and "ba" after the irrealis form sets a hypothetical condition. It answers the preceding poem's last line, "kimi o todomemu."
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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