Naguwashiki Inami no umi no okitsu nami chie ni kakurinu Yamatoshimane wa

名ぐはしき印南の海の沖つ波
千重に隠りぬ大和島根は

Roma-ji: Naguwashiki Inami no umi no okitsu nami chie ni kakurinu Yamatoshimane wa
English Translation: Famed for its fair name,
the sea of Inami—
its offshore waves now,
thousandfold, have hidden it:
the island land of Yamato.
Meaning: Behind the thousandfold waves of the offing in the famed sea of Inami, it has vanished from sight—the land of Yamato.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 303

Headnote: "Two poems composed at sea by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro when he went down to the province of Tsukushi"
On a sea voyage down to Tsukushi, off Inami in Harima, the poet sees the mountains of Yamato behind him disappear beyond the waves of the offing. He captures the moment his homeland vanishes on a grand scale, through wave upon wave, expressing the sorrow of leaving Yamato behind. By inversion, "the island land of Yamato" comes at the end, impressing the image of the lost homeland.
The poet, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, was a court poet active from the reign of Jitō to that of Monmu. Master of both long and short poems, he was later revered as the "Saint of Poetry." His rank was low, and much of his life remains obscure.

First line "Famed for its fair name": naguwashi means renowned, praising Inami.
Second line "the sea of Inami": the sea off the plain of Inami in Harima, off present-day Kakogawa and Akashi.
Third line "its offshore waves now": tsu is an old genitive particle, "of the offing."
Fourth line "thousandfold, have hidden it": chie means layer upon layer, and nu is perfective. The sentence breaks here.
Fifth line "the island land of Yamato": Yamatoshimane is the land of Yamato seen from the sea like an island. Placing the subject last by inversion, it presses home the image of the vanished homeland.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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