classic waka stream

思ひつつ来れど来かねて三尾の崎
真長の浦をまたかへり見つ
Roma-ji

Omoitsutsu kuredo kikanete mio no saki managa no ura o mata kaerimitsu

English Translation
Longing all the while,
though I came, I could not go on;
at Cape Mio
the bay of Managa once more
I turned and looked back upon.
Meaning
Drawn by longing, I came this far but could not bring myself to go on, and once again I turned to look back at the bay of Managa by Cape Mio.
Commentary
Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1733

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems by the Go Master"
Drawn by the beauty of the bay of Managa at Cape Mio, the speaker cannot bring himself to move on and turns to look back once more. His attachment to the place is shown through the gesture of looking back.
This is the second of two poems by the Go Master. Cape Mio is a headland on the western shore of Lake Biwa in Takashima, Shiga, and the bay of Managa is thought to be nearby.
The author, the Go Master, is otherwise unknown. Goshi means one skilled at the game of go, and the person's name is not recorded.

The first line, "longing all the while," expresses the speaker's attachment.
The second line, "though I came, I could not go on," repeats ku, "to come," showing reluctant steps.
The third line, "at Cape Mio," names the headland.
The fourth line, "the bay of Managa once more," names the bay he looks back on.
The final line, "I turned and looked back upon," ends with the perfective tsu. Poem 1668 closes on the same mata kaerimi in the volitional, "we shall come back to see," while this one closes in the perfective.
Author
the Go Master
Source
Manyoshu
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