Miketsukuni shima no ama narashi makumano no obune ni norite oki e kogu miyu

御食つ国志摩の海人ならしま熊野の
小舟に乗りて沖へ漕ぐ見ゆ

Roma-ji: Miketsukuni shima no ama narashi makumano no obune ni norite oki e kogu miyu
English Translation: From the land of royal fare,
the fisherfolk of Shima, it seems,
in fine Kumano's
small boats they are riding,
rowing toward the open sea
Meaning: They must be the fisherfolk of Shima, the land that supplies the royal table: I see them rowing out to sea in little boats built at Kumano.
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 1033

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems composed by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi at the temporary palace of Sazama"
This poem sings of the seashore: those rowing out to sea in little boats built at Kumano must be the fisherfolk of Shima, the province that supplies the royal table. Where the preceding poem voiced longing for his wife, this one turns to the life of the sea before the poet's eyes and depicts a fresh scene on the journey.
These two poems date from the journey of Tenpyō 12 (740), when Emperor Shōmu made a progress to the province of Ise following the rebellion of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, Junior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu, the so-called progress to the east. According to the headnote, Ōtomo no Yakamochi composed them at the temporary palace of Sazama, whose location is uncertain.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito and at this time served as a Palace Guard in attendance on the Emperor. He later held posts such as governor of Etchū and rose to Middle Counselor. He is a poet thought to have been deeply involved in the compilation of the Man'yōshū.

Where the preceding poem, 1032, sings of longing for the wife left at home, this poem sings of the fisherfolk before the poet's eyes, so that the two poems from the same temporary palace form a pair of inner feeling and outer scene.
The first line, "From the land of royal fare," renders "miketsukuni," a province that offers seafood and other provisions for the Emperor's table, a term of praise for the province of Shima.
The second line, "the fisherfolk of Shima, it seems," ends with "narashi," a contraction of "naru rashi," expressing a conjecture based on evidence. The sense breaks here, after the second line.
In the third line, "in fine Kumano's," "ma-" is an honorific prefix attached to Kumano. Kumano was known for producing good timber and for building boats.
The fourth line, "small boats they are riding," depicts in concrete terms the fisherfolk setting out to fish in small boats made at Kumano.
The final line, "rowing toward the open sea," attaches "miyu," "is seen," to the terminal form of the verb. It presents the scene before the eyes that grounds the conjecture of the second line and closes the poem on a clear view of the sea.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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