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- Manyoshu
Ama obune ho kamo hareru to miru made ni tomo no uramini nami tateri miyu
So white are the waves rising along the bay of Tomo that they look like fishing boats raising their sails.
Masakikute mata kaerimimu masurao no te ni maki moteru tomo no urami o
May I stay safe and come back to see it once again—the bay of Tomo, named like the leather guard a warrior binds upon his wrist.
Torijimono umi ni ukiite okitsu nami sawaku o kikeba amata kanashi mo
Floating on the sea like a waterbird, I hear the offshore waves roaring, and a deep sadness comes over me.
Asanagi ni makaji kogidete mitsutsu koshi mitsu no matsubara namigoshi ni miyu
We rowed out with full oars in the morning calm, watching them as we came—and now the pine groves of Mitsu appear across the waves.
Asari suru ama otomera ga sode tōri nurenishi koromo hosedo kawakazu
The robes of the fisher girls, soaked through at the sleeves as they forage by the sea, will not dry, however they spread them out.
Abiki suru ama to ka miramu aku no ura no kiyoki ariso o mi ni koshi ware o
Do people take me for a fisherman hauling his nets—I, who only came to see the pure, rugged shore of Aku Bay?
Yama koete tōtsu no hama no iwatsutsuji waga kuru made ni fufumite ari mate
Rock azaleas of Tōtsu beach beyond the mountains—until I come back again, stay in bud and wait for me.
Ōumi ni arashi na fuki so shinagadori ina no minato ni fune hatsuru made
Stormy winds, do not blow upon the wide sea—not until our boat is safely moored in the harbor of Ina.
Fune hatete kashi furitatete iori semu nagoe no hamabe sugikatenu kamo
Let us moor the boat, drive in the mooring stakes, and put up a hut for the night—the beach of Nago Bay is too lovely to pass by.
Imo ga kado ideiri no kawa no se o hayami aga uma tsumazuku ie mou rashi mo
The shallows of the Ideiri River—named for going in and out of my love's gate—run so swift that my horse stumbles; someone at home must be thinking of me.
Shirotae ni niou matsuchi no yamagawa ni aga uma nazumu ie kou rashi mo
In the mountain stream of Matsuchi, whose soil gleams white as mulberry cloth, my horse falters—those at home must be yearning for me.
Se no yama ni tada ni mukaeru imo no yama koto yuruse ya mo uchihashi watasu
Facing Mount Se directly across the river stands Mount Imo—has she granted his wish? For a plank bridge is laid between them.
Ki no kuni no saika no ura ni idemireba ama no tomoshibi nami no ma yu miyu
When I went out to look over Saika Bay in the land of Kii, I saw the fishermen's fires glimmering between the waves.
Manyoshu - Lord Fujiwara
Asagoromo kireba natsukashi ki no kuni no imose no yama ni asa maku wagimo
When I put on my hempen robe I am filled with longing—for the dear girl sowing hemp on the hills of Imose in the land of Kii.
Manyoshu - Lord Fujiwara
Tsuto mo ga to kowaba torasemu kai hiriu ware o nurasu na okitsu shiranami
"Bring me back a gift," they will ask, and I will give them these—so as I gather shells, white waves from the open sea, do not drench me.
Te ni toru ga kara ni wasuru to ama no iishi koiwasuregai koto ni shi arikeri
"Just take it in your hand and you'll forget," the fisherman told me—but the love-forgetting shell was nothing but a name.