Komo to yu mo

You Say, 'I Will Come!'


Komo to yu mo You say, "I will come."
Konu toki aru wo And you do not come.
Koji to yu wo Now you say, "I will not come."
Komu to wa mataji So I shall expect you.
Koji to yu mono wo Have I learned to understand you?


Lady Otomo No Sakanoe (eighth century) Translated from the Japanese by Kenneth Rexroth

"You Say 'I Will Come'" by Lady Otomo No Sakanoe from 100 Poems from the Japanese, translated by Kenneth Rexroth.