Adomoite kogiyuku fune wa takashima no ado no minato ni hate ni kemu kamo

率ひて漕ぎ行く舟は高島の
安曇の港に泊てにけむかも

Roma-ji: Adomoite kogiyuku fune wa takashima no ado no minato ni hate ni kemu kamo
English Translation: Calling each to each,
the boat that rowed away from here—
at Takashima,
in the harbor of Ado,
has it come to anchor now?
Meaning: That boat whose rowers called to one another as they pulled away—has it reached the harbor of Ado at Takashima and anchored there by now?
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1718

Headnote: "A poem by Takechi"
The poet wonders whether the boat whose rowers pulled away together has by now reached the harbor of Ado at Takashima. Loneliness of travel seeps through his concern for the departed boat.
The harbor of Ado at Takashima lay on the western shore of Lake Biwa, near the mouth of the Ado River in present-day Takashima, Shiga. Poems 1690, "the waves upon the Ado River," and 1734, "past the harbor of Ado," concern the same place.
The author, Takechi no Kurohito, was a poet of the Jitō and Monmu reigns, known for his fine travel poems. "Takechi" in the headnote is taken to mean him.

The first line, "calling each to each," shows the rowers pulling together under a call.
The second line, "the boat that rowed away from here," names the boat.
The third line, "at Takashima," names the district of the harbor.
The fourth line, "in the harbor of Ado," is the same as the second line of 1734.
The final line, "has it come to anchor now?" combines the perfective ni, the past conjecture kemu, and kamo of wonder.
Author: Takechi no Kurohito
Source: Manyoshu
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