Kaze takaku he ni wa fukedomo imo ga tame sode sae nurete kareru tamamo zo

風高く辺には吹けども妹がため
袖さへ濡れて刈れる玉藻ぞ

Roma-ji: Kaze takaku he ni wa fukedomo imo ga tame sode sae nurete kareru tamamo zo
English Translation: Though the wind blows high
on the shore where waves break in,
for your sake, my dear,
drenching even my own sleeves,
I have gathered this seaweed
Meaning: Though the wind blew hard along the shore, I cut this lovely seaweed for you, my dear, even at the cost of drenching my sleeves.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 782

Headnote: "A poem sent by Ki no Iratsume to a friend with a parcel; her name was Oshika"
Ki no Iratsume wrote this when she sent a parcel to a friend. Though the wind blew hard on the shore, she gathered this seaweed for her friend, even drenching her sleeves, she says, speaking of the care in her gift. Like Prince Takayasu's poem 625, it is a poem that accompanies a gift and tells of the trouble taken to obtain it.
The author, Ki no Iratsume, was a daughter of Ki no Kanohito, named Oshika, and was the wife of Prince Aki.

First line, "Though the wind blows high," means the wind is fierce.
Second line, "on the shore where waves break in," uses the concessive domo: though it blows on the shore.
Third line, "for your sake, my dear," addresses her woman friend affectionately as imo.
Fourth line, "drenching even my own sleeves," uses sae, "even."
Fifth line, "I have gathered this seaweed," closes emphatically with zo: this is the seaweed I cut.
Author: Ki no Iratsume
Source: Manyoshu
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