沖つ波辺つ藻巻き持ち寄せ来とも
君にまされる玉寄せめやも
君にまされる玉寄せめやも
- Roma-ji
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Okitsu nami hetsumo makimochi yosekutomo kimi ni masareru tama yoseme ya mo
- English Translation
-
The waves from offshore,
though they come rolling to the beach
wrapping shoreline weed,
could they bring a jewel here
more precious than you are?
- Meaning
- Though the waves from the open sea come rolling in, wrapping the shore-weed in their arms, could they ever bring a jewel more precious than you?
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1206
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
Though the waves from offshore come rolling in, entwining the shore-weed, they could never bring a jewel more precious than the beloved. Declaring that the one he loves surpasses even the jewels of the sea, the poem expresses deep affection.
It is regarded as coming from the Old Collection. The text adds a variant: "One version says: though the waves offshore and the waves by the shore come rolling in again and again." The poet is unknown.
The first line, "The waves from offshore," names the waves of the open sea.
The second line, "wrapping shoreline weed," means entwining the seaweed of the shore.
In the third line, "tomo" is a concessive hypothetical: "even if they come."
The fourth line, "more precious than you are," means surpassing the beloved.
In the final line, "meya mo" is rhetorical: "could they bring such a jewel? Never."
- Source
- Manyoshu
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