大宮の内まで聞こゆ網引すと
網子ととのふる海人の呼び声
網子ととのふる海人の呼び声
- Roma-ji
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Ōmiya no uchi made kikoyu abiki su to ago totonouru ama no yobigoe
- English Translation
-
Into the palace,
even there, it can be heard:
to haul in the nets,
marshaling the net-haulers,
the fishermen's calling voice.
- Meaning
- It carries even into the palace—the calling voices of the fishermen, marshaling their crews to haul in the nets.
- Commentary
-
Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 238
Headnote: "A poem by Naga no Imiki Okimaro, composed in response to an imperial command"
Composed at the Emperor's command, this poem is thought to date from a royal visit to the Naniwa palace. It pictures the fishermen's shouts reaching all the way into a seaside palace, praising both the palace's closeness to the sea and the vigor of the land. Breaking off after the second line to convey surprise at the sound, and revealing its source in the lower half, the structure is vivid.
The poet, Naga no Okimaro, was a court poet who accompanied royal excursions from the reign of Jitō to that of Monmu, and is also known for impromptu poems weaving in the names of objects and for playful verse.
First line "Into the palace": ōmiya is the imperial palace, here likely the Naniwa palace visited on the excursion.
Second line "even there, it can be heard" marks a break. The surprise of the sound comes first, and its source is revealed afterward in an inverted structure.
Third line "to haul in the nets": to expresses purpose.
Fourth line "marshaling the net-haulers": ago are the men who pull the nets, and totonou means to call them together and set them moving in unison.
Fifth line "the fishermen's calling voice" ends on a noun, leaving a lingering echo; the quiet of the court is set against the bustle of the shore.
- Author
- Naga no Okimaro
- Source
- Manyoshu
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