Hayahito no Satsuma no seto o kumoi nasu tōku mo ware wa kyō mitsuru kamo

隼人の薩摩の瀬戸を雲居なす
遠くも我れは今日見つるかも

Roma-ji: Hayahito no Satsuma no seto o kumoi nasu tōku mo ware wa kyō mitsuru kamo
English Translation: The Hayato's land,
the straits of Satsuma—
like the far-off clouds,
distant though they lie, today
I have seen them with my eyes.
Meaning: The straits of Satsuma, land of the Hayato—far off as the distant clouds, yet today I have seen them.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 248

Headnote: "Another poem composed by Prince Nagata"
The poem records the emotion of at last seeing, from afar, the straits of Satsuma at the southern edge of the realm. The straits are identified with Kuronoseto, between present-day Akune in Kagoshima and Nagashima Island. The wonder of beholding a strange land so remote from the capital seeps through the phrase "distant like the clouds."
The poet, Prince Nagata, was a royal of the early Nara period who served as Governor of Ōmi and Master of Settsu, among other posts, and died in Tenpyō 9 (737).

First line "The Hayato's land": the Hayato were the people of southern Kyushu, and the line introduces Satsuma as their home.
Second line "the straits of Satsuma": seto is a narrow strait, thought to be Kuronoseto.
Third line "like the far-off clouds": kumoi is the distant region of the clouds, and nasu means "like," likening remoteness to clouds.
Fourth line "distant though they lie": mo intensifies the sense of distance.
Fifth line "today I have seen them": tsuru is the attributive of the perfective tsu and kamo is exclamatory, ending in the thrill of having finally seen them.
Author: Prince Nagata
Source: Manyoshu
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