Shio fureba tomo ni kata ni ide naku tazu no koe tōzakaru isomi surashi mo

潮干ればともに潟に出で鳴く鶴の
声遠ざかる磯廻すらしも

Roma-ji: Shio fureba tomo ni kata ni ide naku tazu no koe tōzakaru isomi surashi mo
English Translation: When the tide has ebbed
they go out upon the flats,
cranes that cry, and then
their voices grow far away—
they must be circling the shore
Meaning: When the tide ebbs, the cranes go out together onto the flats, crying—and now their voices fade into the distance; they must be foraging around the rocky shore.
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1164

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
Hearing the cries of a flock of cranes, out on the flats at low tide, gradually fade into the distance, the poet guesses that they are moving along the rocky shore in search of food. It is an aural landscape poem that captures the cranes' movement through their receding voices.
Continuing the tidal flats of the preceding poem, where the ebb was inferred from the movement of boats, this poem infers where the cranes have gone from the shifting of their cries. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "When the tide has ebbed," sets the condition.
The second line, "they go out upon the flats," means together they go out onto the tidal flats; it has an extra syllable.
The third line, "cranes that cry," names the calling cranes.
The fourth line, "their voices grow far away," pauses the poem.
In the final line, "rashi" expresses inference: they must be going round the rocky shore.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Ayuchigata shiohinikerashi chita no ura ni asa kogu fune mo oki ni yoru miyu
Next Poem: Yūnagi ni asari suru tazu shio miteba okinami takami onozuma yobau