Ise no umi no okitsu shiranami hana ni moga tsutsumite imo ga iezuto ni semu

伊勢の海の沖つ白波花にもが
包みて妹が家づとにせむ

Roma-ji: Ise no umi no okitsu shiranami hana ni moga tsutsumite imo ga iezuto ni semu
English Translation: On the sea of Ise,
the white waves out in the offing—
were they only flowers!
I would wrap them up and take
them home as a gift for my love.
Meaning: If only the white waves out on the sea of Ise were flowers—I would wrap them up and bring them home as a gift for my wife.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 306

Headnote: "A poem composed by Prince Aki when the Emperor made a royal visit to the province of Ise"
This was composed while accompanying a royal visit to Ise. Likening the beautiful white waves of the offing to flowers, the poet wishes that, if they were flowers, he could wrap them up as a gift for his wife at home—blending the beauty of the scene with his thoughts of her. The fresh idea of waves as flowers reveals a longing for a beauty that cannot be carried away. One view dates the visit to Empress Genshō's journey in Yōrō 2 (718).
The poet, Prince Aki, was a royal of the early Nara period, a grandson of Prince Shiki and said to be a son of Prince Kasuga.

First line "On the sea of Ise" has one syllable too many.
Second line "the white waves out in the offing" names the waves far out.
Third line "were they only flowers": moga is a particle of wishing. The sentence breaks here.
Fourth line "I would wrap them up" continues the wish—if they were flowers, he would wrap them.
Fifth line "as a gift for my love": iezuto is a present brought home, and mu expresses intention, ending in thoughts of his wife.
Author: Prince Aki
Source: Manyoshu
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