classic waka stream

沖つ波辺波立つとも我が背子が
御船の泊り波立ためやも
Roma-ji

Okitsu nami henami tatsu tomo waga seko ga mifune no tomari nami tatame ya mo

English Translation
Though the offshore waves
and the waves along the shore rise,
where your noble ship,
my dear lord, lies at anchor—
could any waves rise there?
Meaning
Though waves rise offshore and along the coast, could waves ever rise where your ship, my lord, lies at anchor? Never.
Commentary
Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 247

Headnote: "A poem in reply by Master Ishikawa," with the note "His name is missing"
This poem responds to Prince Nagata's preceding line, "waves, do not rise." However the waves may rise offshore or by the shore, the harbor of the prince's ship will be calm—a pledge of safe travel. According to a left note, it is unknown whether it was written by Ishikawa no Miyamaro, appointed Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu in the Keiun era, or by Ishikawa no Kimiko, appointed Junior Assistant Governor-General in the Jinki era.
There is no settled view on who "Master Ishikawa" was. Taifu was an honorific for officials of the fourth and fifth ranks, and the left note names Ishikawa no Miyamaro and Ishikawa no Kimiko as candidates.

First line "Though the offshore waves": tsu is an old genitive particle, "of the offing."
Second line "the waves along the shore rise": henami are waves breaking on the shore, and tomo is concessive. Pairing offing and shore covers every wave.
Third line "my dear lord": seko is an affectionate term for a man, here Prince Nagata.
Fourth line "where your noble ship lies at anchor" names the ship's mooring place.
Fifth line "could any waves rise there": me is the conditional of mu, ya rhetorical, mo exclamatory. Answering "waves, do not rise" with the same verb, it guarantees the waves will never rise.
Author
Master Ishikawa
Source
Manyoshu
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