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Chihayaburu kane no misaki o suginu tomo ware wa wasureji shika no sumegami
Though I have safely passed the fierce cape of Kane, I will never forget you, O mighty god of Shika.
Amagirai hikata fuku rashi mizukuki no oka no minato ni nami tachiwataru
The sky has clouded over—the wind from the sun's quarter must be blowing, for waves are rising all across Oka harbor.
Ōumi no nami wa kashikoshi shikaredomo kami o iwaite funade seba ika ni
The waves of the great ocean are fearsome—and yet, what if we worship the gods with all reverence and set sail?
Otomera ga oru hata no ue o makushi mochi kakage takushima nami no ma yu miyu
Takushima—named as though for the maidens who comb up the threads on their looms—can be seen between the waves.
Shio hayami isomi ni oreba kazuki suru ama to ya miramu tabi yuku ware o
The tide runs so swift that I linger on the rocky shore—would they take me for a fisherman who dives, I who am only a traveler passing through?
Nami takashi ika ni kajitori mizutori no ukine ya subeki nao ya kogubeki
The waves are high—what shall we do, helmsman? Should we sleep afloat like the waterbirds, or row on still?
Ime nomi ni tsugite mietsutsu takashima no iso kosu nami no shikushiku omōyu
Again and again you appear, but only in my dreams—and like the waves that break over the rocks at Takashima, I think of you without end.
Shizukeku mo kishi ni wa nami wa yosekeru ka kore no ya tōshi kikitsutsu oreba
How softly the waves are breaking against the shore, as I sit listening to them through the walls of this house.
Takashima no ado shiranami wa sawakedomo ware wa ie omou iori kanashimi
At Takashima the white waves of the Ado River roar and clamor, yet I think only of home, so forlorn is this makeshift lodging.
Ōumi no isomoto yusuri tatsu nami no yosemu to omoeru hama no kiyokeku
The waves that rise from the great ocean, shaking the rocks to their roots—how pure is the beach they long to reach!
Tamakushige mimoroto yama o yukishikaba omoshiroku shite inishie omōyu
When I traveled over Mount Mimoroto, the scenery was so lovely that my thoughts turned to the ancient past.
Nubatama no kurokamiyama o asa koete yamashitatsuyu ni nurenikeru kamo
Crossing Mount Kurokami at dawn, I was soaked by the dew beneath its trees.
Ashihiki no yama yukigurashi yado karaba imo tachimachite yado kasamu kamo
If, after walking the mountain paths all day until dark, I should look for a place to stay—would my beloved be standing there waiting to give me shelter?
Miwataseba chikaki satomi o tamotōri ima zo waga kuru hire furishi no ni
Looking out, the village seemed so near, yet I wandered the long way round—and now at last I come to the field where she once waved her scarf.
Otomera ga hanari no kami o yū no yama kumo na tanabiki ie no atari mimu
Mount Yū—named as though for binding up a maiden's loosened hair—O clouds, do not trail across it; let me look toward where my home lies.
Shika no ama no tsuribune no tsuna aezu shite kokoro ni omoite idete kinikeri
Like the mooring rope of the Shika fishermen's boats that cannot bear the strain, I could not endure it—and with my heart full of longing I came away from home.