Chihayaburu kami no misaka ni nusa matsuri iwau inochi wa omochichi ga tame

ちはやぶる神の御坂に幣奉り
斎ふ命は母父がため

Roma-ji: Chihayaburu kami no misaka ni nusa matsuri iwau inochi wa omochichi ga tame
English Translation: At the sacred pass
of the awe-inspiring god
I make offerings;
this life I pray to keep safe
is for mother and father
Meaning: At the pass of the fearsome god I make my offerings; this life I pray to keep is for my mother and my father.
Commentary: Book Twenty Frontier Guard Poems 4402

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems of the frontier guards sent in rotation to the provinces of Tsukushi in the second month of Tenpyō Shōhō 7, year of the wood sheep."
Making offerings at the pass of the fearsome god, the life I pray to keep is for my mother and father: the poem prays for his own safety for his parents' sake. It is the second poem from Shinano. The "pass of the god" is thought to be Misaka Pass on the border of Shinano and Mino, and the poem draws on the custom of making offerings to the god of a pass when crossing it. In the words that he values his life for his parents, his love for them shows.
The author, Miwahitobe no Kooshio, is recorded as a clerk from Hanishina District in Shinano; nothing more is known of him.

The first line, "chihayaburu," is a pillow word for "god."
The second line, "kami no misaka ni," "at the pass where the god dwells," is thought to refer to Misaka Pass between Shinano and Mino.
The third line, "nusa matsuri," "making offerings to the god of the pass," is the ritual of praying for safety on the road.
The fourth line, "iwau inochi wa," means "the life I pray to keep."
The closing line, "omochichi ga tame," "is for my mother and father," gives the reason for his prayer.
Author: Miwahitobe no Kooshio
Source: Manyoshu
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