Nubatama no yo wataru tsuki o ikuyo fu to yomitsutsu imo wa ware matsuramu zo

ぬばたまの夜渡る月を幾夜経と
数みつつ妹は我れ待つらむぞ

Roma-ji: Nubatama no yo wataru tsuki o ikuyo fu to yomitsutsu imo wa ware matsuramu zo
English Translation: In the jet-black night
the moon goes crossing the sky—
"How many nights now?"
counting them, my wife at home
must be waiting there for me.
Meaning: Watching the moon cross the night sky and counting how many nights have passed, my wife must be waiting for me.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4072

Headnote: none. The left note reads, "This evening the moonlight flowed slowly and a gentle breeze blew softly. Inspired by what met my eyes, I composed this poem."
The poet imagines his wife in the capital, watching the moon cross the night sky and counting the nights as she waits for him. On an evening when the moonlight flowed slowly and a mild breeze blew, the moon before his eyes turned his thoughts to his far-off wife.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
After the banquet poem in which he urges merriment with the people of Koshi, a solitary evening's homesickness is placed here.

First line, "nubatama no": a pillow word for "night," "black," and the like.
Second line, "yo wataru tsuki o": the moon crossing the night sky, corresponding to "the moonlight flowed slowly" in the left note.
Third line, "ikuyo fu to": "how many nights have passed," expressing the counting of days by the moon.
Fourth line, "yomitsutsu imo wa": "yomu" means to count, and "tsutsu" marks continuation. He imagines his wife counting the days as she watches the moon.
Last line, "ware matsuramu zo": "ramu" is the auxiliary of present conjecture, "must be waiting now," and "zo" adds emphasis. By imagining his wife waiting, he expresses the feelings of the one who is awaited.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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