Abiki suru ama to ka miramu aku no ura no kiyoki ariso o mi ni koshi ware o

網引する海人とか見らむ飽の浦の
清き荒磯を見に来し我れを

Roma-ji: Abiki suru ama to ka miramu aku no ura no kiyoki ariso o mi ni koshi ware o
English Translation: Do they take me for
a fisherman who draws his net?
I who came to see
at the bay of Aku
the pure and rugged shore
Meaning: Do people take me for a fisherman hauling his nets—I, who only came to see the pure, rugged shore of Aku Bay?
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1187

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
Though he has only come to see the pure, rugged shore of Aku Bay, the poet wonders whether the local people take him for a fisherman hauling nets. A traveler who came to admire the scenery looks with gentle humor at himself amid the life of the seashore.
The left note says, "The poem above comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection." The last line, "I who came to see," is the same as in poem 1107 in this book, and poems 1204 and 1234 share the idea of wondering whether one is taken for a fisherman. Aku Bay is thought by some to be in Kii.

The first line, "abiki suru," means to fish by hauling nets.
The second line, "Do they take me for a fisherman?" is a kakari-musubi construction in which "ka" is answered by the attributive "ramu," and the poem pauses here. Poems 1204 and 1234 share the idea.
The third line names Aku Bay, thought by some to be in Kii; it has an extra syllable.
The fourth line, "the pure and rugged shore," refers to the clear, rocky coast.
The final line, "I who came to see," is the same as the last line of poem 1107.
Source: Manyoshu
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