Mirume naki waga mi o ura to shiraneba ya karenade ama no ashi tayuku kuru - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

みるめなき我が身をうらと知らねばや
かれなで海人の足たゆく来る

Roma-ji: Mirume naki waga mi o ura to shiraneba ya karenade ama no ashi tayuku kuru
English Translation: Is it that he knows not
this self of mine is a bay
where no seaweed grows,
that the fisherman keeps coming,
never leaving, legs worn weary
Meaning: Is it because he does not know that I am like a bay where no sea-pine grows, with no chance of meeting, that the fisherman keeps coming, never giving up, until his legs grow weary?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 623

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet likens herself, who has no intention of meeting, to a bay where no mirume seaweed grows, and the man who keeps visiting unaware to a fisherman come to cut seaweed. Piling pivot word upon pivot word, it holds the man at arm's length with the wit typical of Komachi.
The author, whose name is written in kana in the text, is Ono no Komachi. Her origins are unclear, but she is said to have served at court in the reigns of Emperors Ninmyo and Montoku, and she is counted among the Six Poetic Immortals and the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.
In section 25 of The Tales of Ise, this is placed as the woman's reply to Narihira's poem in the preceding entry, forming a pair of the man who returns unmet and the woman who has no mind to meet.

The first line, "mirume naki," uses mirume as a pivot word for "sea-pine seaweed" and "a chance to meet."
The second line, "waga mi o ura to," uses ura as a pivot word for "bay" and "wretched." "Seaweed," "bay," and "fisherman" are associated words of the sea.
The third line, "shiraneba ya," asks "is it because he does not know?" with the particle ya, resolved by kuru in the last line.
The fourth line, "karenade ama no," uses karenade as a pivot word for "without parting" and "without cutting seaweed."
The final line, "ashi tayuku kuru," means he comes until his legs are tired, closing the ya construction with the attributive kuru.
Author: Ono no Komachi
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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