Mitsukawa no fuchise mo ochizu sade sasu ni koromode nurenu hosu ko wa nashi ni

三川の淵瀬もおちず小網さすに
衣手濡れぬ干す子はなしに

Roma-ji: Mitsukawa no fuchise mo ochizu sade sasu ni koromode nurenu hosu ko wa nashi ni
English Translation: In Mitsu River
leaving not one pool or shoal,
setting out my net,
my sleeves have gotten soaking wet—
and no girl here to dry them.
Meaning: I set my little net in every pool and shallow of the Mitsu River, and my sleeves got soaked—but there is no girl here to dry them.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1717

Headnote: "A poem by Kasuga"
Fishing with a small net in every pool and shallow of the Mitsu River, the speaker has soaked his sleeves, and laments that there is no girl to dry them. The fun of fishing on a journey and the loneliness of being on one's own are lightly expressed.
The location of the Mitsu River is unknown; some place it in Ōmi, others in Mikawa.
The author, Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu, was originally a monk called Benki and returned to lay life by court order in the first year of Taihō (701).

The first line, "in Mitsu River," names the river.
The second line, "leaving not one pool or shoal," uses otsu, "to be left out."
The third line, "setting out my net," refers to fishing with a sade, a small hand net.
The fourth line, "my sleeves have gotten soaking wet," pauses the poem.
The final line, "and no girl here to dry them," like "to dry it by the fire, is there anyone here at all?" in 1688 and 1698, speaks of the loneliness of travel with no one to dry wet clothes.
Author: Kasuga no Kurabito Oyu
Source: Manyoshu
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