Kamome iru Fujie no ura no okitsusu ni yobune isayou tsuki no sayakesa - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

かもめゐる藤江の浦の沖つ州に
夜舟いさよふ月のさやけさ

Roma-ji: Kamome iru Fujie no ura no okitsusu ni yobune isayou tsuki no sayakesa
English Translation: At the offshore sands
of Fujie Bay, where the gulls
have settled to rest,
night boats linger, hesitant—
how clear shines the moon above!
Meaning: By the offshore sandbar of Fujie Bay, where the gulls have settled, the night boats linger as if hesitating—how clear and bright the moon shines!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1554

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
This is the first poem of the sequence on the moon at the seashore. At the offshore sandbar of Fujie Bay where gulls rest, night boats linger hesitantly, and the moon shines clear and bright. The headnote reads "topic unknown," and records nothing of the circumstances of composition.
The author, "Akinaka, Supervisor of the Office of Divinities," was the son of Minamoto no Akifusa. He was appointed Supervisor of the Office of Divinities and was active as a poet, sponsoring poetry contests among other things.
Fujie Bay is a famous place in Harima, the seashore at Fujie in present-day Akashi, Hyōgo Prefecture.

The first line, "kamome iru," means "where the gulls are." It first sets a seaside scene, moving from the moon over ruined houses in the preceding sequence to the moon at the seashore.
The second line, "Fujie no ura no," presents Fujie Bay, a famous place in Harima.
In the third line, "okitsusu ni," "okitsusu" means a sandbar offshore. "Tsu" is an old case particle meaning "of."
The fourth line, "yobune isayou," means "the night boats hesitate, unable to move on." "Isayou" is a word also associated with the hesitating moon of the sixteenth night.
The last line, "tsuki no sayakesa," ends on a noun, exclaiming at the moon's brightness. Layering gulls, sandbar, and boats, it sets the moon at the end to depict a seaside night scene.
Author: Minamoto no Akinaka
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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