Chihayaburu Kamo no yashiro no kami mo kike kimi wasurezu wa ware mo wasureji - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ちはやぶる賀茂の社の神も聞け
君忘れずは我も忘れじ

Roma-ji: Chihayaburu Kamo no yashiro no kami mo kike kimi wasurezu wa ware mo wasureji
English Translation: O mighty gods of
the Kamo shrine, you too hear
and bear witness now:
if you do not forget me,
I too will not forget you
Meaning: Let the gods of the Kamo Shrine hear this too: if you do not forget me, I will not forget you either.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Love Poems V 909

Headnote: "Sent when Asamitsu, Major Captain of the Left, wrote a letter of oath and pressed her to send one in return"
Fujiwara no Asamitsu, Major Captain of the Left, sent her a written oath that his heart would not change and pressed her to send one of her own in return, and she sent this poem. Let the gods of the Kamo Shrine hear it too, she says: if you do not forget me, I will not forget you. Taking the gods as witnesses to her vow, she adds the condition "if you do not forget," turning it back on him so that whether she forgets depends on his own heart. It is a witty reply that answers the demand for a vow without giving up the upper hand. Asamitsu was the son of Chancellor Fujiwara no Kanemichi and served as Major Counselor and Major Captain of the Left.
The author, "Uma no Naishi," was the daughter of Minamoto no Tokiakira. She served Empress Kōshi, consort of Emperor En'yū, and Empress Teishi, consort of Emperor Ichijō, among others, and had relationships with many young nobles, Fujiwara no Asamitsu among them. She is one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals of the Middle Ages.
As if taking up "wasururu wa" in the preceding poem, 908, this poem vows "ware mo wasureji," so that a lament at being forgotten and a vow not to forget stand side by side.

First line, "chihayaburu": a pillow word attached to "god," here leading through "the Kamo Shrine" in the second line to "kami" in the third.
Second line, "Kamo no yashiro no": the Kamo Shrines of Kyoto, the Upper and Lower Shrines. She calls on the gods as witnesses to her vow.
Third line, "kami mo kike": "kike" is the imperative, "you gods too, hear." "Mo" implies "not only people but the gods as well." The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "kimi wasurezu wa": "zu wa," the negative "zu" with the particle "wa," gives a hypothetical condition, "if you do not forget." It answers "wasururu wa" in the first line of the preceding poem, 908.
Fifth line, "ware mo wasureji": "ji" is the negative volitional, "I too will not forget." Paired with the fourth line, it closes by leaving the vow in the hands of his heart.
Author: Uma no Naishi
Source: Senzai Wakashu
Prev Poem: Wasururu wa ukiyo no tsune to omou ni mo mi o yaru kata no naki zo wabinuru
Next Poem: Utagaishi inochi bakari wa ari nagara chigirishi naka no taenu beki kana