Waga seko ga kaerikimasamu toki no tame inochi nokosamu wasuretamau na

我が背子が帰り来まさむ時のため
命残さむ忘れたまふな

Roma-ji: Waga seko ga kaerikimasamu toki no tame inochi nokosamu wasuretamau na
English Translation: For the time
when my dear husband
shall come home again
I will keep my life alive;
do not forget me
Meaning: For the day when my dear husband comes home again, I will keep myself alive; do not forget me.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3774

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
She resolves to keep herself alive for the time when her husband returns, and asks him not to forget her. Overcoming the despair and regret of the preceding poems, it expresses her resolve to go on living for the day of reunion. Like her earlier 3745 of this book, "inochi araba au koto mo aramu," it entrusts the hope of reunion to staying alive. It is the last of the eight poems the left note marks as the young woman's.
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 eight poems are by the young woman"; the eight poems from 3767 to 3774 of this book were sent by the young woman to 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, "waga seko ga": "seko" is a woman's affectionate word for her husband or lover, here Yakamori.
Second line, "kaerikimasamu": "masu" is an honorific auxiliary and "mu" conjecture: when you shall come home.
Third line, "toki no tame": for that time.
Fourth line, "inochi nokosamu": "mu" is intention: I will keep my life. The poem breaks after the fourth line.
Fifth line, "wasuretamau na": "tamau" is honorific and "na" prohibitive: please do not forget me, the poem ends.
Author: Sano no Otogami no Otome
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kimi ga muta yukamashi mono o onaji koto okurete oredo yoki koto mo nashi
Next Poem: Aratama no toshi no o nagaku awazaredo keshiki kokoro o a ga mowanaku ni