Kaze fukite umi wa aru tomo asu to iwaba hisashiku arubeshi kimi ga manimani

風吹きて海は荒るとも明日と言はば
久しくあるべし君がまにまに

Roma-ji: Kaze fukite umi wa aru tomo asu to iwaba hisashiku arubeshi kimi ga manimani
English Translation: Though the wind may blow
and the sea rise wild and rough,
if you say "tomorrow,"
long the waiting then will be—
let it be as you will
Meaning: Though the wind blows and the sea runs rough, if you say "tomorrow," the wait will be long—so let it be as you wish.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1309

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the Sea"
Though the wind blows and the sea is rough, if they put it off until tomorrow the wait will be long, so the speaker will leave it to her lover's wishes. The rough sea stands for obstacles to love, and the poem is taken to express a willingness to entrust things to the lover, since delay would keep them long apart.
It is the second poem of the series on the sea and, like the preceding poem, 1308, sings of a rough sea. According to the left note it comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection.

The first line, "Though the wind may blow," sets the scene.
The second line, "and the sea rise wild and rough," stands for the obstacles to love.
The third line, "if you say 'tomorrow,'" has an extra syllable.
The fourth line, "long the waiting then will be," has an extra syllable, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "let it be as you will," shows the speaker entrusting herself to her lover's heart.
Source: Manyoshu
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