Mayo no goto kumoi ni miyuru awa no yama kakete kogu fune tomari shirazu mo

眉のごと雲居に見ゆる阿波の山
懸けて漕ぐ舟泊り知らずも

Roma-ji: Mayo no goto kumoi ni miyuru awa no yama kakete kogu fune tomari shirazu mo
English Translation: Like a line of brows,
far off among the clouds, there
lie the hills of Awa;
the boat that rows toward them—
where it will harbor, none knows
Meaning: Like arching brows, the mountains of Awa appear far off among the clouds; the boat rowing toward them, where will it find its harbor? I cannot tell.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 998

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Six poems from the time of the imperial progress to the Naniwa palace in the third month of spring"
Watching a boat rowing across the sea of Naniwa toward the mountains of Awa, which appear far off among the clouds, thin as eyebrows, the poet says he cannot tell where that boat will lie at anchor. It is one of six poems from the third month of Tenpyō 6 (734), when Emperor Shōmu made a progress to the Naniwa palace. The vastness of the sea and the thought of a boat of unknown destination are expressed together with the uncertainty of travel. A note following the poem says, "The above poem is by Prince Fune."
The mountains of Awa appear to be those of the province of Awa (present-day Tokushima Prefecture), visible far off across the sea from Naniwa beyond the island of Awaji. Likening the ranges hazy on the far sea to eyebrows captures well their thin, long ridgelines.
The poet, Prince Fune, was a son of Prince Toneri and an elder brother of Emperor Junnin. He was exiled to Oki for his involvement in the rebellion of Fujiwara no Nakamaro in Tenpyō-hōji 8 (764).

The first line, "Like a line of brows," means "like eyebrows." The mountain ranges lying thin in the distance are likened to a woman's eyebrows. Following 993 and 994, where the crescent moon was likened to brows, here it is the ridgeline of mountains that is seen as brows.
The second line, "far off among the clouds, there," means "visible far beyond, where the clouds hang." "Kumoi" means the place of clouds, far away.
The third line, "lie the hills of Awa," names the mountains of the province of Awa. It ends on a noun, and the whole upper verse depicts the distant mountains.
The fourth line, "the boat that rows toward them," means a boat rowing with the mountains of Awa as its goal. "Kaku" means to set one's heart on a destination, and so the far mountains and the boat before the poet's eyes are linked.
The final line, "where it will harbor, none knows," means "I do not know where the boat will anchor." "Tomari" is a place where boats moor, and "mo" expresses emotion. The poem closes leaving the thought of the boat crossing the vast sea as a lingering echo.
Author: Prince Fune
Source: Manyoshu
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