Toyokuni no kiku no hamabe no managotsuchi manao ni shi araba nani ka nagekamu

豊国の企救の浜辺の真砂土
真直にしあらば何か嘆かむ

Roma-ji: Toyokuni no kiku no hamabe no managotsuchi manao ni shi araba nani ka nagekamu
English Translation: In the land of Toyo,
on the Kiku beach the sand,
the fine sand lies soft—
were you only true and straight,
why then should I grieve at all?
Meaning: Like the fine sand of Kiku's beach in the land of Toyo—if only your heart were true and straight, why should I ever grieve?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1393

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Shore Sand"
The poet says that if only the beloved's heart were straight and true, like the fine sand ("managotsuchi") of Kiku's beach, there would be no reason to grieve. It expresses the wish for a sincere heart, and the grief born of uncertainty that it is so.
It forms a pair with the preceding poem, sharing the third line "the fine sand," and is the second of the poems "On Shore Sand." Where the preceding poem names Nataka Bay in Kii, this one names the beach of Kiku in Buzen. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "In the land of Toyo," uses the old name for Buzen and Bungo.
The second line, "on the Kiku beach," refers to the beach of Kiku in Buzen and has an extra syllable.
The third line, "the fine sand," is the same word as in the preceding poem; the first three lines form a preface leading to the similar-sounding "manao," straight.
The fourth line, "were you only true and straight," refers to the sincerity of the beloved's heart.
The final line, "why then should I grieve at all," is rhetorical: "I would not grieve."
Source: Manyoshu
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