Shiosai ni irago no shimabe kogu fune ni imo noru ramu ka araki shimami o

潮騒に伊良虞の島辺漕ぐ舟に
妹乗るらむか荒き島廻を

Roma-ji: Shiosai ni irago no shimabe kogu fune ni imo noru ramu ka araki shimami o
English Translation: In the churning tide,
off the isle of Irago,
in a rowing boat—
is my darling riding there,
round that island's rugged shore?
Meaning: With the tide surging and roaring, is my beloved aboard a boat rowing by the island of Irago—out in those rough waters around the isle?
Commentary: Book One Miscellaneous Poems 42

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem composed by Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro, who remained in the capital when the Empress journeyed to Ise Province"
Remaining in the capital, Hitomaro worries that his beloved may be aboard a boat on the rough, roaring sea. Where the two preceding poems imagined the brilliant scenes of the royal journey, here anxiety over the wild sea and concern for a loved one take center stage, bringing the three-poem sequence to a close rich in feeling.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu, and he is the foremost poet of the Man'yōshū. Though his rank appears to have been low, he left many grand and dignified poems, above all long poems, and later ages revered him as a "saint of poetry."

The first line, shiosai ni, refers to the roar of waves as the tide comes in, setting a tense scene of rough sea from the outset.
The second line means "about the isle of Irago." Poems 23 and 24 in this book also mention the island of Irago, sharing the place name.
The third line, "in a boat rowing," continues from the second to show the boat's place near the island.
In the fourth line, imo is a man's fond word for his beloved, ramu present conjecture, and ka a question: "is she aboard?" The poem breaks here, inverted with the last line.
The last line means "round the rough island shores." The inversion stresses the danger of the sea and deepens the worry.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kushiro tsuku tōshi no saki ni kyō mo ka mo ōmiyabito no tamamo karu ramu
Next Poem: Waga seko wa izuku yuku ramu okitsu mo no nabari no yama o kyō ka koyu ramu