若狭なる三方の海の浜清み
い行き帰らひ見れど飽かぬかも
い行き帰らひ見れど飽かぬかも
- Roma-ji
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Wakasa naru mikata no umi no hama kiyomi iyuki kaerai miredo akanu kamo
- English Translation
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In Wakasa,
on the beach of Mikata's sea,
so pure and clear,
going back and forth again,
I gaze and never tire
- Meaning
- The beach on the sea of Mikata in Wakasa is so pure that, going back and forth, I gaze and gaze and never tire of it.
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1177
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
The beach on the sea of Mikata in Wakasa is so pure that the poet, going back and forth, never tires of gazing at it. Through the formula of praise, "I look and never tire," the beauty of the Mikata shore is frankly extolled.
It is one of the poems composed on journeys; the sea of Mikata is thought to be around the Five Lakes of Mikata in Wakasa. The last line, "I gaze and never tire," is a common formula of praise in the Man'yōshū and echoes "I drink and never tire" in poem 1128 in this book. The poet is unknown.
The first line, "In Wakasa," means "which is in Wakasa Province."
The second line names the sea of Mikata in Wakasa.
The third line, "so pure and clear," is a "-mi" form: "because the beach is pure."
In the fourth line, "i" is a prefix and "kaerau" means to return repeatedly: going back and forth.
The final line, "I gaze and never tire," corresponds to the formula of praise in the last line of poem 1128 and has an extra syllable.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Natsuso hiku unakamigata no okitsu su ni tori wa sudakedo kimi wa oto mo sezu
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Inamino wa yukisuginu rashi amazutau hikasa no ura ni nami tateri miyu