Yabunami no sato ni yado kari harusame ni komori tsutsumu to imo ni tsugetsu ya

薮波の里に宿借り春雨に
隠りつつむと妹に告げつや

Roma-ji: Yabunami no sato ni yado kari harusame ni komori tsutsumu to imo ni tsugetsu ya
English Translation: In Yabunami
I have taken lodging now,
by the spring rain
kept indoors and shut away—
did you tell my wife of this?
Meaning: Did you tell my wife that I have taken lodging in the village of Yabunami and am shut in by the spring rain?
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4138

Headnote: "On business inspecting reclaimed lands, I lodged at the house of Tajihibe no Kitasato, clerk of Tonami District. A storm suddenly arose and I could not take my leave, so I composed this poem."
The poet asks whether word has been sent to his wife that he has taken lodging in the village of Yabunami and is shut in by the spring rain. Composed when he had gone to Tonami District to inspect reclaimed lands, stayed at the house of the district clerk, and was prevented from leaving by a sudden storm, it shows his thoughts turning to his wife at home from the place where he is held up.
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.
The left note reads, "Composed by the governor, Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi, on the eighteenth of the second month," in 750. It is the last poem of this book. In the opening poem, 4032, Yakamochi welcomed his guest Sakimaro at his residence and invited him to the sea; at the end, Yakamochi himself borrows lodging on the road and is shut in by rain. His role reverses from one who receives to one who is received, and so the book closes.

First line, "Yabunami no": Yabunami was a place in Tonami District of Etchū, thought to be near present-day Oyabe, Toyama.
Second line, "sato ni yado kari": it refers to his stay at the house of the district clerk Tajihibe no Kitasato mentioned in the headnote.
Third line, "harusame ni": taking up "a storm suddenly arose" in the headnote, it speaks of being shut in by spring rain.
Fourth line, "komori tsutsumu to": "komoru" means to stay indoors, and "tsutsumu" to be kept in by rain and the like, describing being unable to go out because of the rain.
Last line, "imo ni tsugetsu ya": "tsu" is perfective and "ya" interrogative, ending with a question to the messenger: "did you tell my wife?" Held up on the road, he turns his heart to his wife at home as the book closes.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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