Shimazutau abaya no obune kazemamori toshi wa ya henamu au to wa nashi ni

島伝ふ足早の小舟風まもり
年はや経なむ逢ふとはなしに

Roma-ji: Shimazutau abaya no obune kazemamori toshi wa ya henamu au to wa nashi ni
English Translation: Along the islands
the swift little boat
waits upon the wind—
will the years go by like this,
without our ever meeting?
Meaning: Like a swift little boat that travels from island to island, waiting on the wind—will the years slip by like this, without our ever meeting?
Commentary: Book Seven Allegorical Poems 1400

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Boats"
As a swift little boat traveling among the islands waits for the wind, the poet wonders whether the years will pass without his ever meeting his love. The waiting boat stands for himself, only watching for a chance and unable to meet his beloved, lamenting time passing in vain.
It is the third of the poems on boats. Its third and fourth lines, "kazemamori toshi wa ya henamu," are the same as in poem 1390 in this book; where that poem ends "without ever setting out to row," this one says plainly "without our ever meeting," voicing the longing of love. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Along the islands," means going from island to island.
The second line, "the swift little boat," refers to a small, fast vessel.
The third line, "waits upon the wind," means watching the wind; it is the same as the third line of poem 1390 in this book.
The fourth line, "will the years go by like this," pauses the poem; it is the same as the fourth line of poem 1390.
The final line, "without our ever meeting," is inverted, and answers "without ever setting out to row" in the last line of poem 1390.
Source: Manyoshu
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