Masurao wa mikari ni tatashi otomera wa akamo suso hiku kiyoki hamabi o

大夫は御狩に立たし娘子らは
赤裳裾引く清き浜びを

Roma-ji: Masurao wa mikari ni tatashi otomera wa akamo suso hiku kiyoki hamabi o
English Translation: The stalwart men
set forth to the royal hunt,
while the maidens there
trail the hems of scarlet skirts
along the pure sandy shore
Meaning: The brave men go forth to the royal hunt, while the maidens trail the hems of their scarlet skirts along the pure white beach.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 1001

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"
This poem depicts the bustle of the place visited on the progress: the brave men go out to the emperor's hunt, while the maidens walk along the pure beach trailing the hems of their scarlet skirts. It is one of six poems from the third month of Tenpyō 6 (734), when Emperor Shōmu made a progress to the Naniwa palace. A note following the poem says, "The above poem is by Yamabe no Sukune Akahito."
Setting the men's hunt and the maidens' seaside strolling side by side in parallel lines, the poem impressively paints the scarlet of the skirts against the white shore. It is a poem typical of Akahito, a master of scenic description, capturing the splendor of the progress like a single picture.
The poet, Yamabe no Akahito, was a court poet of the early Nara period who accompanied Emperor Shōmu on his progresses and left many poems of praise and scenic description. In later ages he was revered as a sage of poetry alongside Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, and he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The scarlet of the "scarlet skirts" in this poem and the color of the earth in "the clay of the shore" in the next poem, 1002, both bring the colors of the Suminoe shore into the poems, adding vivid hues to the close of the progress sequence.
The first line, "The stalwart men," means brave and noble men. It refers to the officials accompanying the progress and forms a pair with "the maidens" that follows.
The second line, "set forth to the royal hunt," means "go out to the emperor's hunt." "Mikari" is a hunt held by the sovereign, and "tatashi" is "tatsu" with the honorific "su," continuing into the third line in the conjunctive form.
The third line, "while the maidens there," means "the young women," forming a parallel with "the stalwart men" in the first line. By setting two groups side by side, men and maidens, the poem portrays the liveliness of the place from two sides.
The fourth line, "trail the hems of scarlet skirts," means walking while trailing the hems of red skirts. "Mo" is a garment women wore from the waist down, and its red stands out vividly against the white beach.
The final line, "along the pure sandy shore," means "on the pure beach." "Hamabi" means the seashore, and "o" marks the place of the action, receiving "trail the hems" in the fourth line. Ending on the pure beach, the poem praises the very land of the progress.
Author: Yamabe no Akahito
Source: Manyoshu
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