Naniwagata shiohi ni asaru ashitazu mo tsuki katabukeba koe no uramuru - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

難波潟潮干にあさる葦鶴も
月傾けば声の恨むる

Roma-ji: Naniwagata shiohi ni asaru ashitazu mo tsuki katabukeba koe no uramuru
English Translation: At Naniwa's flats,
even the cranes among the reeds,
foraging at ebb tide,
when the moon begins to sink,
cry out in a voice of reproach.
Meaning: Even the reed cranes foraging on the ebb-tide flats of Naniwa cry out as if in reproach when the moon begins to sink.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1555

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown."
This is the second poem of the sequence on the moon at the seashore. Even the reed cranes foraging on the ebb-tide flats of Naniwa cry out as if in reproach when the moon begins to sink. The headnote continues from the preceding poem, "topic unknown," and records nothing of the circumstances of composition.
The author, "Shun'e Hōshi," was the son of Minamoto no Toshiyori. A monk of Tōdaiji, he named his lodging at Shirakawa the Karin'en, making it a gathering place for poets, and became Kamo no Chōmei's teacher in poetry.
Naniwagata is a famous place in Settsu, the inlet of present-day Osaka Bay, known for its reeds.

The first line, "Naniwagata," presents the famous Naniwa flats. Following Fujie Bay in the preceding poem, it opens with a seaside place name.
The second line, "shiohi ni asaru," means "foraging on the beach at ebb tide."
In the third line, "ashitazu mo," "ashitazu" means cranes among the reeds. The particle "mo" implies "even the cranes, like people."
The fourth line, "tsuki katabukeba," adds "ba" to the perfective form to state a fixed condition: "when the moon sinks westward."
The last line, "koe no uramuru," trails off in the attributive form, leaving a lingering resonance. The cranes cry as if in reproach, regretting the moon's setting, moving from the moon's clear brightness in the preceding poem to the heart that regrets its sinking.
Author: Shun'e
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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