Tōku areba hitohi hitoyo mo omowazute aruramu mono to omōshimesu na

遠くあれば一日一夜も思はずて
あるらむものと思ほしめすな

Roma-ji: Tōku areba hitohi hitoyo mo omowazute aruramu mono to omōshimesu na
English Translation: Because I am far,
for a single day or night
I might not think of you,
so that I would forget,
do not ever believe
Meaning: Do not think that, because I am far away, there may be a day or a night when I do not think of you.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3736

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
He appeals to the young woman not to think that, being far away, he might go a day or a night without thinking of her. Imagining her fear that their hearts might drift apart as they live apart, he seeks to dispel it. Using the honorific "omohoshimesu," it becomes a courteous address to her.
The author, Nakatomi no Yakamori, was a son of Nakatomi no Azumahito, from the Nakatomi clan in charge of the rites of the gods. He was exiled to Echizen Province for an offense, but was later pardoned and returned to the capital.
A left note reads "the above fourteen poems are by Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori"; the fourteen poems from 3731 to 3744 of this book were sent by Yakamori to the young woman from his place of exile. 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, "tōku areba": since I am far away.
Second line, "hitohi hitoyo mo": even a single day or night, the briefest span.
Third line, "omowazute": without thinking.
Fourth line, "aruramu mono to": "ramu" is present conjecture: that I would be so.
Fifth line, "omōshimesu na": "omohoshimesu" is an honorific of "omou" and "na" prohibitive: please do not think so, the poem ends.
Author: Nakatomi no Yakamori
Source: Manyoshu
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