Ametsuchi no kami naki mono ni araba koso a ga mou imo ni awazu shini seme

天地の神なきものにあらばこそ
我が思ふ妹に逢はず死にせめ

Roma-ji: Ametsuchi no kami naki mono ni araba koso a ga mou imo ni awazu shini seme
English Translation: Only if the gods
of heaven and of earth
were not there at all
would I die without meeting
the love I hold so dear
Meaning: Only if there were no gods of heaven and earth would I die without meeting the wife I love; since there are, we will surely meet.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3740

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
He tries to be certain of reunion through faith in the gods: only if there were no gods of heaven and earth might he die without meeting his wife; since there are, they will surely meet. It expresses a heart that, amid despair, clings to hope with the existence of the gods as its support. The motif of praying to the gods of heaven and earth also appears in 3682 of this book, by the young woman of Komashima in the first half.
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, "ametsuchi no": the gods of heaven and earth, meaning all the gods.
Second line, "kami naki mono ni": as things without gods.
Third line, "araba koso": "koso" is a binding particle resolved by the realis "me," stressing the supposition: only if there were none.
Fourth line, "a ga mou imo ni": the wife I love.
Fifth line, "awazu shini seme": "me" is the realis of the conjectural "mu," answering "koso": I would die without meeting her. Turned around, it shows his conviction that since the gods exist, they will surely meet.
Author: Nakatomi no Yakamori
Source: Manyoshu
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