Shizukeku mo kishi ni wa nami wa yosekeru ka kore no ya tōshi kikitsutsu oreba

静けくも岸には波は寄せけるか
これの屋通し聞きつつ居れば

Roma-ji: Shizukeku mo kishi ni wa nami wa yosekeru ka kore no ya tōshi kikitsutsu oreba
English Translation: How very softly
against the shore the waves
are breaking now,
as I sit here listening
through the walls of this house
Meaning: How softly the waves are breaking against the shore, as I sit listening to them through the walls of this house.
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1237

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
Listening from inside his lodging to the waves breaking on the shore, the poet is moved by how quietly they come in. In the gentle sound of the waves lies the deep stillness of a night at a traveler's inn.
It is regarded as coming from the Old Collection. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "How very softly," means "so quietly."
The second line, "against the shore the waves," names the waves breaking on the shore.
In the third line, "ka" is exclamatory: "how they are breaking!" The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "through the walls of this house," describes hearing the sounds outside from within.
The final line, "as I sit here listening," gives the reason by inversion.
Source: Manyoshu
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