Murasaki no nataka no ura no managotsuchi sode nomi furete nezu ka narinamu

紫の名高の浦の真砂土
袖のみ触れて寝ずかなりなむ

Roma-ji: Murasaki no nataka no ura no managotsuchi sode nomi furete nezu ka narinamu
English Translation: Famed as purple's hue,
on the shore of Nataka
the fine sand lies soft—
touching only with my sleeve,
must I leave, never sleeping there?
Meaning: On the fine sands of Nataka's shore, famed as the purple dye—must it end with only my sleeve brushing them, never lying down to sleep there?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1392

Headnote: "On Shore Sand"
The poet wonders whether it must end with only his sleeve brushing the fine sands of Nataka's shore, never lying down to sleep there. The lovely fine sand stands for a woman he loves, and the poem laments that their bond may go no further than brushing sleeves, ending without their ever sleeping together.
It is the first poem under the heading "On Shore Sand" and shares the third line, "the fine sand," with the next poem. Its first two lines, "Famed as purple's hue, on the shore of Nataka," are the same as in poem 1396 in this book, one of the poems on seaweed. Nataka Bay is on the coast of Kii. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Famed as purple's hue," is a pillow word for Nataka, since purple was a famed color; it is the same as the first line of poem 1396 in this book.
The second line, "on the shore of Nataka," is also the same as in poem 1396.
The third line, "the fine sand," stands for a beloved woman, and the same word appears in the third line of the next poem.
The fourth line, "touching only with my sleeve," describes the slightest contact.
In the final line, "ka" is answered by the attributive "namu": "must it end without sleeping there?"
Source: Manyoshu
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