Fushikoe yu yukamashi mono o mamorau ni uchinurasaenu nami yomazu shite

伏越ゆ行かましものをまもらふに
うち濡らさえぬ波数まずして

Roma-ji: Fushikoe yu yukamashi mono o mamorau ni uchinurasaenu nami yomazu shite
English Translation: By the Fushikoe path
I ought to have gone my way;
as I watched and waited
the waves came and drenched me through,
for I did not count them well
Meaning: I should have gone by the Fushikoe path—while I stood watching and waiting, I was drenched by the waves, for I had not counted them well.
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1387

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the Sea"
The poet laments that he should have gone by Fushikoe, but while he watched and waited he was drenched, not having counted the waves. Being drenched by the waves is read as being found out and becoming the subject of gossip, and the poem expresses regret at failing while waiting for the right moment.
It is one of the poems "On the Sea." Against the preceding poem's boldness in rowing out, it tells of regret for failure through hesitation. Fushikoe is said to be either a place name or a path crossing over a cliff. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "By the Fushikoe path," names the way he might have taken.
The second line, "I ought to have gone my way," is contrary to fact, and the poem pauses here.
The third line, "as I watched and waited," describes looking for the right moment.
The fourth line, "the waves came and drenched me through," closes a clause, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "for I did not count them well," gives the cause of failure by inversion.
Source: Manyoshu
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