あさりする海人娘子らが袖通り
濡れにし衣干せど乾かず
濡れにし衣干せど乾かず
- Roma-ji
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Asari suru ama otomera ga sode tōri nurenishi koromo hosedo kawakazu
- English Translation
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The fisher maidens
seeking food along the shore—
soaked through the sleeves,
their robes that got so wet
they dry, but they will not dry
- Meaning
- The robes of the fisher girls, soaked through at the sleeves as they forage by the sea, will not dry, however they spread them out.
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1186
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
The robes of the fisher girls who forage at sea are soaked through the sleeves and will not dry however they are spread out. The harshness of the girls' life by the sea is drawn as a scene glimpsed through a traveler's eyes.
It ends with the same line as poem 1145 in this book, "they dry, but they will not dry"; where that poem spoke of the poet's own sleeves soaked while gathering shells for his wife, this one speaks of the fisher girls' robes. The poet is unknown.
The first line, "The fisher maidens," begins with "asari suru," to fish or forage.
The second line, "seeking food along the shore," refers to the fisher girls and has an extra syllable.
The third line, "soaked through the sleeves," means wet right through.
The fourth line, "their robes that got so wet," refers to the drenched garments.
The final line, "they dry, but they will not dry," is shared with poem 1145.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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