Otomera ga nochi no shirushi to tsuge ogushi oikawari oite nabikikerashi mo

娘子らが後の標と黄楊小櫛
生ひ変り生ひて靡きけらしも

Roma-ji: Otomera ga nochi no shirushi to tsuge ogushi oikawari oite nabikikerashi mo
English Translation: As the maiden's token
for the ages yet to come,
the little boxwood comb
growing anew and growing,
seems to sway there still
Meaning: The little boxwood comb the maiden left as a token for later ages seems to have grown again and again into a tree that sways there still.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4212

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem composed in response to the poems on the maiden's grave, with a short poem"
An envoy to the long poem on the legend of the Maiden of Unai in Settsu, it says that the small boxwood comb the maiden planted at her grave as a token for later ages seems to have grown, generation after generation, into a tree that sways there still. The legend of the maiden who, courted by two men and torn between them, took her own life is recalled through the boxwood tree at her grave.
The legend had already been sung in long poems by Takahashi no Mushimaro (Book Nine, 1809) and Tanabe no Sakimaro (Book Nine, 1801), and "composed in response" in the title shows that this poem answers those earlier works. The left note says, "The above was composed by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi on impulse on the sixth day of the fifth month."
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "otomera ga" (the maiden's): "ra" is an affectionate suffix, referring to the legendary Maiden of Unai.
Second line, "nochi no shirushi to" (as a token for after): "shirushi" means a sign or memorial, giving the purpose of being remembered by later generations.
Third line, "tsuge ogushi" (the little boxwood comb), takes up the comb planted at the grave at the close of the long poem.
Fourth line, "oikawari oite" (growing anew and growing), is hypermetric; repeating "oi" (grow) conveys the long passage of time as the comb took root and grew generation after generation.
Fifth line, "nabikikerashi mo" (it seems to sway): "kerashi" infers a past state, and "mo" is exclamatory, closing with feeling for the legend.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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