Ōtomo no tōtsu kamuoya no okutsuki wa shiruku shime tate hito no shirubeku

大伴の遠つ神祖の奥城は
しるく標立て人の知るべく

Roma-ji: Ōtomo no tōtsu kamuoya no okutsuki wa shiruku shime tate hito no shirubeku
English Translation: For the Ōtomo,
at the graves of our forebears,
gods from long ago,
set up markers clear to see,
so that all the world may know.
Meaning: At the resting place of the distant divine ancestors of the Ōtomo, set up clear markers so that all may know.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4096

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem celebrating the imperial edict on the gold produced in Michinoku Province [with short poems]." "Three envoys."
The poet calls for clear markers to be set at the graves of the distant ancestors of the Ōtomo so that people may know them. Responding to the edict that praised his clan's loyalty since ancient times, the poem is full of clan pride and the wish to show the world the merits of its forebears.
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.

First line, "Ōtomo no": placing the clan name at the head, it brings clan pride to the fore.
Second line, "tōtsu kamuoya no": "the distant divine ancestors." It takes up the long poem's "the distant divine ancestor of the Ōtomo, bearing the name Ōkumenushi."
Third line, "okutsuki wa": "okutsuki" means a grave.
Fourth line, "shiruku shime tate": "shiruku" means clearly and "shime" a marker; he commands that markers be set up to be seen.
Last line, "hito no shirubeku": "beku" expresses possibility, "so that people can know." In inverted order, it gives the purpose at the end.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Masurao no kokoro omohoyu ōkimi no mikoto no saki o kikeba tōtomi
Next Poem: Sumeroki no miyo sakaemu to azuma naru michinokuyama ni kugane hana saku