Yakitachi o tonami no seki ni asu yori wa moribe yari soe kimi o todomemu

焼太刀を砺波の関に明日よりは
守部遣り添へ君を留めむ

Roma-ji: Yakitachi o tonami no seki ni asu yori wa moribe yari soe kimi o todomemu
English Translation: At the Pass of Tonami,
sharp as a tempered blade,
from tomorrow on
I will send more guards to keep
you here and bar your way.
Meaning: From tomorrow I will send more guards to the barrier of Tonami to keep you from leaving.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4085

Headnote: "On the fifth day of the fifth month of the first year of Tenpyō Kanpō, the monk Heiei and others, envoys of Tōdaiji for the selection of reclaimed land, were entertained. At that time the governor Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi sent wine to the monks with a poem."
The poet says that from tomorrow he will send more guards to the barrier of Tonami to keep his guests from leaving Etchū. It was sent with wine at a banquet for the monk Heiei and others, who had come to Etchū to select reclaimed land for Tōdaiji, and it expresses the pain of parting in a governor's fashion, by threatening to reinforce the barrier guards.
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.
It was composed on the fifth of the fifth month of 749. In that year Emperor Shōmu's construction of the Great Buddha of Tōdaiji was under way, and lands for reclamation were being designated in the provinces to support the temple.

First line, "yakitachi o": since a forged sword is sharpened ("togu"), this serves as a pillow word for Tonami through the sound "to."
Second line, "Tonami no seki ni": the Tonami barrier stood on the border between Etchū and Kaga, thought to be near present-day Oyabe, Toyama. It was a key point on the road from Etchū to the capital.
Third line, "asu yori wa": singling out "tomorrow," it shows that Heiei and his party are to leave the next day.
Fourth line, "moribe yari soe": "moribe" are barrier guards, and "yari sou" means to send more in addition, an idea natural to a governor.
Last line, "kimi o todomemu": "mu" is an auxiliary of intention, "I will keep you here." It pairs with 4036, where Sakimaro sang "ware o todomuru" from the side of the guest being kept; here we have the words of the one who detains.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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