Tokitsukaze fukubeku narinu kashiigata shiohi no ura ni tamamo karite na

時つ風吹くべくなりぬ香椎潟
潮干の浦に玉藻刈りてな

Roma-ji: Tokitsukaze fukubeku narinu kashiigata shiohi no ura ni tamamo karite na
English Translation: The wind of the tide
is on the verge of blowing—
on Kashii's flats,
along the ebb-tide shore, let us
reap the jeweled weed while we may
Meaning: The wind that comes with the tide will soon be blowing. On the bay of Kashii's flats, while the tide is out, let us reap the jeweled seaweed.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 958

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems composed in the eleventh month of winter when the officials of the Dazaifu, having worshiped at the Kashii Mausoleum and while withdrawing homeward, halted their horses at the bay of Kashii and each expressed his feelings" "A poem by Ono no Asomi Oyu, Senior Assistant Governor-General"
This poem says that the wind that rises with the flood tide will soon blow, so the company should reap the jeweled seaweed on the flats of Kashii while the tide is still out. It is one of three poems composed when, in the eleventh month of winter, the officials of the Dazaifu worshiped at the Kashii Mausoleum and, on their way back, halted their horses at the bay of Kashii, each expressing his feelings. The occasion is thought to have been the winter of Jinki 5 (728). The Kashii Mausoleum enshrined Emperor Chūai and Empress Jingū, and corresponds to today's Kashii Shrine in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City.
Answering the summons of the preceding poem, 957, in which Governor-General Ōtomo no Tabito called on all to "gather morning greens," the poet takes up the invitation from his position as deputy, adding that it should be done before the tide comes in.
The poet, Ono no Oyu, was an official of the Nara period who served under Ōtomo no Tabito as a deputy of the Dazaifu. He died in Tenpyō 9 (737) while still Senior Assistant Governor-General.

In the three Kashii poems, this poem speaks of "the flats of Kashii," while the next two, 958 and 959, both place "Kashii's flats" in the third line, so that three officials sing in turn of the same tidal flats, each from his own position.
The first line, "The wind of the tide," refers to the wind that blows regularly at the hour when the tide comes in, showing that the time for gathering on the flats is limited.
The second line, "is on the verge of blowing," uses "beku," an auxiliary of conjecture, and "nu," an auxiliary of completion. The sense breaks here, making this a poem with a pause after the second line.
The third line, "on Kashii's flats," refers to the tidal flats of the bay of Kashii. The next poem, 959, also places "Kashii's flats" in its third line.
The fourth line, "along the ebb-tide shore, let us," refers to the bay where the flats lie bare at low tide. It is akin to "tideland path, as the tide ebbs" in 941 of this book in its image of the tidal flats.
The final line, "reap the jeweled weed while we may," means "let us cut the fine seaweed," with "-te na" expressing one's own intention or an invitation to others. Like the final line of the preceding poem, "let us gather morning greens," it invites gathering on the shore, answering the head of the office's call.
Author: Ono no Oyu
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Iza kodomo kashii no kata ni shirotae no sode sae nurete asana tsumitemu
Next Poem: Yukikaeri tsune ni waga mishi kashiigata asu yu nochi ni wa mimu yoshi mo nashi