Kazanashi no hama no shiranami itazura ni koko ni yosekuru miru hito nashi ni

風莫の浜の白波いたづらに
ここに寄せ来る見る人なしに

Roma-ji: Kazanashi no hama no shiranami itazura ni koko ni yosekuru miru hito nashi ni
English Translation: At Kazanashi,
the white waves along the beach
all to no purpose
come rolling in upon this shore,
with no one here to see them.
Meaning: The white waves of Kazanashi Beach roll in upon this shore in vain, for there is no one here to see them.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1673

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Thirteen poems from the time when the Retired Sovereign and the Late Sovereign made a progress to the province of Kii in the tenth month, winter, of the first year of Taihō, kanoto-ushi"
The speaker laments that the lovely white waves of Kazanashi Beach break in vain, with no one to see them. The words "to no purpose" and "with no one here to see" quietly convey the loneliness of having no companion with whom to share the view.
This is the seventh of the thirteen poems from the progress to Kii in the first year of Taihō (701). A left note says that Yamanoue no Okura's Ruijū Karin records this poem as composed by Naga no Imiki Okimaro at royal command. The text also notes a variant fourth line, "come rolling in, ah, to this shore."
The author, Naga no Okimaro, whose name is also written Okimaro of the Naga Imiki, was a court poet who composed poems while attending royal progresses in the reigns of Jitō and Monmu. He is remembered for his skill at impromptu verse.

The first line, "at Kazanashi," names the beach. The characters mean "no wind"; its location is unknown, though it is thought to be on the Kii coast.
The second line, "the white waves along the beach," presents the object of the poet's sigh.
The third line, "all to no purpose," laments that the beautiful waves come in unseen.
The fourth line, "come rolling in upon this shore," ends in the attributive form and flows into the last line. The variant reading ends instead with the exclamatory mo.
The final line, "with no one here to see them," reveals in inversion the reason for "to no purpose." It is read as expressing a wish to see the scene with someone left behind in the capital.
Author: Naga no Okimaro (according to the Ruijū Karin)
Source: Manyoshu
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