Arineyoshi tsushima no watari watanaka ni nusa torimukete haya kaerikone

在り嶺よし対馬の渡り海中に
幣取り向けて早帰り来ね

Roma-ji: Arineyoshi tsushima no watari watanaka ni nusa torimukete haya kaerikone
English Translation: When you cross the strait
of Tsushima, isle of peaks,
out upon the deep,
offer up the sacred cloth
and come home to us with speed.
Meaning: When you cross the strait by Tsushima, offer the sacred streamers to the gods out on the open sea, and hurry home to us.
Commentary: Book One Miscellaneous Poems 62

Headnote: "A poem composed by Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu when Mino no Muraji (personal name missing) went to Tang China"
A farewell poem for Mino no Muraji, leaving for Tang China as an envoy, asking him to offer streamers to the sea gods at the Tsushima strait to pray for a safe voyage, and to come home soon. Concern for a friend crossing a dangerous sea and an earnest wish for his safe return are expressed in few words. Mino no Muraji is most likely Mino no Muraji Okamaro, who joined the embassy that left in 702, the second year of Taihō.
Kasuga no Oyu was originally a monk named Benki, but in 701, the first year of Taihō, he returned to lay life by court order and was granted the name Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu. He was later given the junior fifth rank, lower grade, and his Chinese poems appear in the Kaifūsō.

The first line, arineyoshi, is thought to praise ranks of mountain peaks and serves as a pillow word for Tsushima, apparently for the many peaks rising on the island.
The second line, "the crossing of Tsushima," refers to the sea route by way of Tsushima, a key point on the envoys' voyage.
The third line, "out in mid-sea," marks the heart of the perilous sea as the place of prayer.
In the fourth line, nusa are offerings of hemp or paper for the gods, and torimuku means to present them: "offer up the streamers and pray."
In the last line, ne is a particle of wish addressed to another: "please come home quickly." The poem closes on an earnest hope for his safe return.
Author: Kasuga no Oyu
Source: Manyoshu
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