Iwa sosoki kishi no urami ni yosuru nami he ni kiyoraba ka koto no shigekemu

石そそき岸の浦廻に寄する波
辺に来寄らばか言の繁けむ

Roma-ji: Iwa sosoki kishi no urami ni yosuru nami he ni kiyoraba ka koto no shigekemu
English Translation: Splashing on the rocks,
round the inlet of the shore
the waves come rolling—
if you came so close to me,
would the talk grow thick and loud?
Meaning: Like the waves that splash upon the rocks and roll in around the shore's inlet—if you came close beside me, would the gossip grow loud?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1388

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the Sea"
Like the waves splashing on the rocks and rolling in to the shore, if the beloved came close, would the gossip grow loud? The waves drawing near the shore stand for a lover coming close, and the poem expresses the fear that nearness will bring rumor.
It is one of the poems "On the Sea," sharing with the preceding poem the fear of being found out. Its form, which posits a condition and fears the gossip, recalls "if its red should stain, would others for that alone make of me their idle talk" in poem 1376 in this book. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Splashing on the rocks," describes water pouring over stone.
The second line refers to the inlet along the shore.
The third line, "the waves come rolling," closes a preface leading to "came close" in the fourth line.
In the fourth line, "if you came so close to me," the particle "ka" is answered by the attributive "shigekemu" in the final line.
The final line, "would the talk grow thick and loud," voices the fear of rumor.
Source: Manyoshu
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