Okurete ite koitsutsu arazu wa Tago no ura no ama naramashi o tamamo karu karu

後れ居て恋ひつつあらずは田子の浦の
海人ならましを玉藻刈る刈る

Roma-ji: Okurete ite koitsutsu arazu wa Tago no ura no ama naramashi o tamamo karu karu
English Translation: Rather than staying,
left behind and pining here,
would I were a diver
at the bay of Tago,
gathering jeweled weed
Meaning: Rather than staying behind and longing, I would rather be a diver at Tago Bay, cutting the jeweled seaweed.
Commentary: Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3205

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
A woman would rather be a diver gathering seaweed at Tago Bay, where her lover travels, than stay behind longing. Her wish to be near the departed man is expressed as a wish to be a diver at his destination.
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, "okurete ite," means "being left behind," a hypermetric line of six syllables.
Line two, "koitsutsu arazu wa," means "rather than going on longing," the same form as in poem 2913 in this book.
Line three, "Tago no ura no," means "of Tago Bay" in Shizuoka Prefecture, a hypermetric line of six syllables.
Line four, "ama naramashi o," means "I would rather be a diver," and the poem pauses here.
Line five, "tamamo karu karu," means "cutting and cutting the seaweed," the doubled verb expressing continuing action.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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