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- Manyoshu
Inishie ni arikemu hito no motometsutsu kinu ni surikemu mano no harihara
The alder grove of Mano—where people of long ago came searching, to rub-dye their robes.
Asari su to iso ni waga mishi nanoriso o izure no shima no ama ka karikemu
The "tell-no-one" seaweed I saw on the rocky shore while foraging—from which island, I wonder, came the diver who has cut it?
Kyō mo kamo okitsu tamamo wa shiranami no yae oru ga ue ni midarete aru ramu
Is the lovely seaweed far out at sea tossing again today on the white waves that break in eightfold folds?
Ōmi no umi minato wa yasochi izuku ni ka kimi ga fune hate kusa musubikemu
The lake of Ōmi has countless harbors—in which of them, I wonder, did you moor your boat and knot the grasses for the night?
Sasanami no namikurayama ni kumo ireba ame zo furu chifu kaeriko waga se
They say that when clouds settle on Mount Namikura in Sasanami, rain will fall—so come home to me, my husband.
Ōmifune hatete samorau takashima no mio no katsuno no nagisa shi omōyu
The shore of Katsuno in Mio at Takashima, where the royal barge lay at anchor waiting for fair winds—it comes back to my mind.
Izuku ni ka funanori shikemu takashima no katori no ura yu kogidekuru fune
Where did they board, I wonder—the boat that comes rowing out from the bay of Katori at Takashima?
Hidabito no maki nagasu to iu nifu no kawa koto wa kayoedo fune zo kayowanu
On the Nifu River, where they say the men of Hida float their fine timber, words can pass from bank to bank, but no boat can go across.
Arare furi kashima no saki o nami takami sugite ya yukamu kōshiki mono o
Must I sail right past the cape of Kashima, "where the hail clatters," because the waves run high—though I long so much to see it?
Ashigara no hakone tobikoe yuku tazu no tomoshiki mireba yamato shi omōyu
Watching the cranes that fly easily over the Hakone peaks of Ashigara, I envy them, and my thoughts turn to Yamato, my home.
Natsuso hiku unakamigata no okitsu su ni tori wa sudakedo kimi wa oto mo sezu
On the offshore shoals of Unakami Flats the birds are thronging and calling—but from you, my love, there is not a sound.
Wakasa naru mikata no umi no hama kiyomi iyuki kaerai miredo akanu kamo
The beach on the sea of Mikata in Wakasa is so pure that, going back and forth, I gaze and gaze and never tire of it.
Inamino wa yukisuginu rashi amazutau hikasa no ura ni nami tateri miyu
We must have passed the plain of Inami by now—in Hikasa Bay, named for the sun that crosses heaven, I see the waves rising.
Ie ni shite are wa koimu na inamino no asaji ga ue ni terishi tsukuyo o
When I am home again I shall long for it—the moon that shone on the low sedge of Inami Plain.
Ariso kosu nami o kashikomi awajishima mizu ka suginamu kokoda chikaki o
Fearful of the waves that surge over the rugged shore, must I sail past Awaji Island without seeing it, though it lies so close at hand?
Asagasumi yamazu tanabiku tatsutayama funade semu hi wa are koimu kamo
Mount Tatsuta, where the morning haze trails without end—on the day I set sail I shall long for it, I know.