Ōmi no umi heta wa hito shiru okitsunami kimi o okite wa shiru hito mo nashi

近江の海辺は人知る沖つ波
君をおきては知る人もなし

Roma-ji: Ōmi no umi heta wa hito shiru okitsunami kimi o okite wa shiru hito mo nashi
English Translation: On the Lake of Ōmi
people know the waves along the shore,
but the waves offshore,
the depths of my heart, save you
there is no one who knows
Meaning: People know the waves along the shore of Lake Ōmi, but the waves far offshore, the depths of my heart, no one knows but you.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3027

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Contrasting the waves along the shore of Lake Ōmi with those far offshore, the poet says that while others may know the feelings that show, only the beloved knows the depths of the heart. There is skill in the echo between "oki," offshore, and "okite," except.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.

Line one, "Ōmi no umi," is Lake Biwa, read "Afumi no umi" in the kana line, a hypermetric line of six syllables.
Line two, "heta wa hito shiru," means "people know the shore," likening the shore waves to feelings that show. The kana line reads the word for shore as "heta."
Line three, "okitsunami," means "the waves offshore," likening them to feelings hidden from others' eyes. "Oki" echoes "okite" in line four.
Line four, "kimi o okite wa," means "except for you."
Line five, "shiru hito mo nashi," means "no one knows," pleading that only the beloved knows the depths of the heart.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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