Nihodori no Okinagagawa wa taenu tomo kimi ni kataramu koto tsukime ya mo

にほ鳥の息長川は絶えぬとも
君に語らむ言尽きめやも

Roma-ji: Nihodori no Okinagagawa wa taenu tomo kimi ni kataramu koto tsukime ya mo
English Translation: Like the grebe that dives
long of breath, the Okinaga
River though it dry,
the words I would speak to you
could they ever be used up?
Meaning: Even if the Okinaga River should run dry, could my words for you ever be exhausted?
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4458

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the seventh day of the third month, a banquet at the house of Uma no Kunihito in Kure village, Kawachi Province; three poems."
Even if the Okinaga River ran dry, could my words for you ever run out? As host, Kunihito expresses unending affection for his guests. The left note says it is by the host, Uma no Kunihito, an unassigned official of the Bureau of Unassigned Officials. A note in the original says it is unknown whether the poem is old or new. The Okinaga River is in Ōmi, far from the banquet in Kawachi, so the poem may be an old song recited at the banquet.
The author, Uma no Kunihito, of the Uma lineage, was an unassigned official holding rank but no post.

The first line, "nihodori no," a pillow word for Okinaga ("long breath"), since the grebe stays long underwater.
The second line, "Okinagagawa wa," names a river in Ōmi, thought to flow through Sakata District.
The third line, "taenu tomo," "even if it runs dry," is a concessive supposition.
The fourth line, "kimi ni kataramu," "the words I would tell you," names his words to the guest.
The closing line, "koto tsukime ya mo," uses meyamo as a rhetorical question: could they run out? Never.
Author: Uma no Kunihito
Source: Manyoshu
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