Ashihiki no yamaji koemu to suru kimi o kokoro ni mochite yasukeku mo nashi

あしひきの山道越えむとする君を
心に持ちて安けくもなし

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yamaji koemu to suru kimi o kokoro ni mochite yasukeku mo nashi
English Translation: You who are about
to cross the mountain roads,
keeping you
always in my heart,
I find no peace at all
Meaning: Holding you in my heart, you who are about to cross the mountain roads, I cannot find a moment's peace.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3723

Headnote: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
Thinking of Yakamori about to cross the mountain roads on the way to his place of exile, the young woman sings that her heart knows no peace. Placed at the head of the exchange between Yakamori and Otogami no Otome, it frankly voices her unease at the long separation about to begin. Just as the first half of the book began with the parting poem of an envoy's wife, so the latter half too begins with a parting poem by a woman left behind.
The author, Sano no Otogami no Otome, was a lady-in-waiting of low rank known as a nyoju, serving in the palace storehouse office; she is also written Sano no Chigami no Otome.
A left note reads "the above four poems were composed by the young woman on the point of parting"; the four poems from 3723 to 3726 of this book were made by the young woman as she faced parting from Yakamori. The latter half of this book contains sixty-three poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome. According to the book's table of contents, when Yakamori took as his wife the young woman, a lady-in-waiting of the palace storehouse office, he was exiled to Echizen Province by imperial decree. The place of exile is thought to be Ajimano in Echizen, near present-day Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture.

First line, "ashihiki no": a pillow word for "yama" (mountain).
Second line, "yamaji koemu to": meaning to cross the mountain roads on the way to Echizen; "mu" expresses intention.
Third line, "suru kimi o": you who are about to do so.
Fourth line, "kokoro ni mochite": holding in my heart, unable to forget him for a moment.
Fifth line, "yasukeku mo nashi": "yasukeku" is the nominalized form of "yasushi": there is no peace at all, ending in anxiety and unrest.
Author: Sano no Otogami no Otome
Source: Manyoshu
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