Yo no naka o nani ni tatoemu asabiraki kogiinishi fune no ato naki gotoshi

世間を何に譬へむ朝開き
漕ぎ去にし船の跡なきごとし

Roma-ji: Yo no naka o nani ni tatoemu asabiraki kogiinishi fune no ato naki gotoshi
English Translation: This world of ours—what
shall I liken it to now?
At the break of dawn,
like a boat that has rowed away,
leaving not a trace behind.
Meaning: To what shall I compare this world? It is like a boat that rowed out at dawn and left no trace behind.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 351

Headnote: "A poem by the novice Mansei"
Likening the fleetingness of the world to a boat that rows out in the morning and leaves no trace on the water, this is known as a masterpiece expressing the Buddhist sense of impermanence. Its structure—opening with a question and answering with a simile—is clear, and the very purity of the morning sea makes transience stand out all the more. It was taken into the Shūishū in the form "To what shall I compare this world? The white wake of a boat rowing away at break of day."
The poet, Mansei, whose secular name was Kasa no Maro, served as Governor of Mino and in other posts before taking holy orders, and went down to Dazaifu as Superintendent for building the Kanzeon Temple of Tsukushi.

First line "This world of ours": yo no naka also renders the Buddhist term for the world, here the world of impermanence.
Second line "shall I liken it to now": mu expresses intention—"to what shall I compare it?" The sentence breaks here.
Third line "At the break of dawn": asabiraki is a boat leaving harbor in the morning.
Fourth line "like a boat that has rowed away": inu means to go away, and shi is the past attributive.
Fifth line "leaving not a trace behind" answers the question, firmly stating the world's transience.
Author: Mansei
Source: Manyoshu
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