Shimazutai Minume no saki o kogimireba Yamato kōshiku tazu sawa ni naku

島伝ひ敏馬の崎を漕ぎ廻れば
大和恋しく鶴さはに鳴く

Roma-ji: Shimazutai Minume no saki o kogimireba Yamato kōshiku tazu sawa ni naku
English Translation: Island after island,
round the cape of Minume
as we row our way,
longing for Yamato so,
cranes are crying everywhere.
Meaning: As we row from island to island around the cape of Minume, I long for Yamato—and the cranes cry out on every side.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 389

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A travel poem with tanka" — "Envoy"
This envoy to a long poem on a sea voyage closes the Miscellaneous Poems of Book Three. Rowing from island to island around Cape Minume in Settsu, the traveler longs for Yamato, and the cranes crying on every side stir his homesickness further. A left note says Wakamiya no Ayumaro recited this poem but its author is unknown, so the author cannot be fixed. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro's poem 250 in this book also sings of a voyage past Minume, and Takechi no Kurohito's poem 273 likewise ends "cranes are crying everywhere," so the images of travel poetry echo one another.

First line "Island after island": shimazutai means going from island to island.
Second line "round the cape of Minume": a headland in Settsu, around present-day Nada Ward, Kobe. Minume also appears in poem 250 of this book.
Third line "as we row our way" means rowing around.
Fourth line "longing for Yamato so" shows his homesickness.
Fifth line "cranes are crying everywhere" is the same last line as poem 273 of this book; the cranes' voices stir the traveler's longing for home.
Source: Manyoshu
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