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この歌、天地あめつちの開ひらけ始まりける時より出できにけり。

（天あまの浮橋の下にて、女神めがみ・男神をがみとなりたまへる事をいへる歌なり。）

しか(は)あれども、世に伝はることはひさかたの天あめにしては、下照姫したてるひめに始まり、

（下照姫とは、天稚御子あめのわかみこの妻めなり。兄人せうとの神のかたち、岡谷をかたにに移りて、輝かかやくをよめるえびす歌なるべし。これらは文字の数も定まらず、歌の様にもあらぬことどもなり。）

あらかねのつちにしては、素戔嗚尊すさのをのみことよりぞ起こりける。ちはやぶる神世には、歌の文字も定まらず、素直すなほにして、事の心わきがたかりけらし。人の世となりて、素戔嗚尊すさのをのみことよりぞ三十みそ文字あまり一文字はよみける。

（素戔嗚尊すさのをのみことは天照御神あまてるおほむかみの兄このかみなり。女と住みたまはむとて、出雲いづもの国に宮づくりしたまふ時に、その所に八色やいろの雲の立つを見てよみたまへるなり。

やくもたつ　いづもやへがき　つまごめに　やへがきつくる　そのやへがきを）

These poems appeared from the time heaven and earth began.

(This refers to the poems read under the Heavenly Floating Bridge, when [the gods] became husband and wife.)

However, they were first transmitted to the world starting with Shitateruhime in the heavens,

(ff)

And in the earth, they began with Susano'o no Mikoto.

Notes

Heaven and earth began: This language is drawn from the Nihon shoki: 開闢之初, which Aston translated as "When the world began to be created."

This refers to the poems...: Here and in the next few sections, the text in parentheses is the so called "Ancient commentary" (kochu), a set of annotations that is not original to the preface. The reference here is to Izanagi and Izanami's betrothal -- the annotator is pointing to the earliest identifiable poem (which actually varies depending on the source), but this does not seem to be what Tsurayuki meant. See the discussion in the Analysis section for more information.

First transmitted to the world: Tsurayuki is contrasting the abstract idea of poetry existing since the creation, with the time that poetry appears in recorded history and legend.

Shitateruhime: She appears in volume 2 of the Nihon shoki, where she sings a song of mourning for her husband Ame no Wakahiko.