Ujikawa no seze no shikinami shikushiku ni imo wa kokoro ni nori ni keru kamo

宇治川の瀬々のしき波しくしくに
妹は心に乗りにけるかも

Roma-ji: Ujikawa no seze no shikinami shikushiku ni imo wa kokoro ni nori ni keru kamo
English Translation: Like the waves that rise
rank on rank in each rapid
of the Uji River,
over and over my dear one
has come to ride upon my heart
Meaning: Like the waves that crowd one upon another in every rapid of the Uji River, again and again my beloved has come to ride upon my heart.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2427

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
Like the waves that rise one after another in each rapid of the Uji River, the beloved weighs on the speaker's heart without pause. With the overlapping waves of the Uji, famed for its swift current, as a preface, the poem shows how the beloved's image constantly fills his mind.
Speaking through a river, this poem begins a run of poems on the Uji River that continues through 2428, 2429, and 2430. The closing words "imo wa kokoro ni nori ni keru kamo" also appear in poem 100 of Book Two, and seem to have been an idiomatic expression for a beloved who rides upon the heart and will not leave it.
The author is unknown; according to the left note, the poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection. That collection is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he recorded. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jito and Emperor Monmu, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

First line, "ujikawa no": "of the Uji River," which flows through present-day Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, and was known for its swift current.
Second line, "seze no shikinami": "the waves crowding in each rapid." The first two lines form a preface, and through the sound "shiki" and the image of waves pressing one upon another, they lead to "shikushiku ni" in the third line.
Third line, "shikushiku ni": "over and over, without pause." Turning from the preface, the poem enters its true theme here.
Fourth line, "imo wa kokoro ni": "my beloved, upon my heart."
Fifth line, "nori ni keru kamo": "has come to ride upon it." The beloved's refusal to leave the mind is expressed concretely as riding upon the heart, and the final particle "kamo" expresses wonder.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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