Tatanamete Izumi no kawa no mio taezu tsukaematsuramu ōmiyadokoro

たたなめて泉の川の水脈絶えず
仕へまつらむ大宮ところ

Roma-ji: Tatanamete Izumi no kawa no mio taezu tsukaematsuramu ōmiyadokoro
English Translation: Shields set side by side—
like the Izumi River,
its flow never failing,
so shall I serve forevermore
this place of the great palace
Meaning: Like the ceaseless current of the Izumi River, so shall I serve forever here at this great palace.
Commentary: Book Seventeen 3908

Headnote: "Envoy to a poem, with tanka, in praise of the new capital at Mikanohara"
As the Izumi River never ceases to flow, so the poet vows to serve forever at the palace of the new capital—a poem in praise of Kuni-kyō. At the end of 740 Emperor Shōmu built the new capital of Kuni at Mikanohara in Sagaraka District, Yamashiro. This is the envoy to a chōka praising that capital, entrusting a vow of lasting service to the unbroken stream of the Izumi beside it.
The poet, Sakaibe no Oimaro, served as Director of the Right Horse Bureau; little more is known of him.
The left note reads, "The above was composed by Sakaibe no Sukune Oimaro, Director of the Right Horse Bureau, in the second month of the thirteenth year of Tenpyō."

First line, "tatanamete": "setting shields in a row," from shooting (iru) from behind them, a pillow word for Izumi through the sound i.
Second line, "Izumi no kawa no": the Izumi River is today's Kizu River, which flowed beside Kuni-kyō; the chōka likewise sings of it as the river the capital wears like a sash.
Third line, "mio taezu": mio is the channel of flowing water; "as the stream never fails," the upper three lines lead into taezu and connect it to lasting service.
Fourth line, "tsukaematsuramu": "I shall humbly serve," mu expressing intention. It repeats the close of the chōka, "I shall serve for ten thousand ages," renewing the spirit of praise.
Fifth line, "ōmiyadokoro": the site of the great palace, Kuni-kyō. The poem ends on a noun, naming the object of praise.
Author: Sakaibe no Oimaro
Source: Manyoshu
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