On Ise's islands,
gathering on the tidal
flats when the sea draws
back, the one who finds no shell
worth having is myself here

Meaning

Gathering on the tidal flats of Ise when the sea draws back, the one who comes up with nothing worth speaking of is myself.

Commentary

Part One: Suma

　Several poems were written out as they came in Miyasudokoro's letter, and this is one of them. It ran to four or five sheets of white Chinese paper rolled together, and the ink work was worth looking at. Genji thought back on how a moment's carelessness had wounded her and driven her down to Ise, and now held her precious and felt he had wronged her.

　"Ise shima" is the islands of the Ise sea. "The tidal flats at low water" is where shells are gathered. "Iu kai naki" means not worth speaking of and plays on the word for shell, tying it to the flats. She uses the same pun as in her Aoi-chapter poem, now in the seascape of Ise, and the consistency of her manner is clear.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

On Ise's islands, gathering on the tidal flats when the sea draws back, the one who finds no shell worth having is myself here

On Ise's islands,
gathering on the tidal
flats when the sea draws
back, the one who finds no shell
worth having is myself here