Ōbune no omoi tanomeru kimi yue ni tsukusu kokoro wa oshikeku mo nashi

大船の思ひ頼める君ゆゑに
尽す心は惜しけくもなし

Roma-ji: Ōbune no omoi tanomeru kimi yue ni tsukusu kokoro wa oshikeku mo nashi
English Translation: Like a great ship
you are the one I lean on;
for your sake alone
the heart I pour out to you
I do not grudge at all
Meaning: For you, on whom I rely as on a great ship, I do not begrudge in the least the heart I give.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems 3251

Headnote: "Envoy"
This is the envoy to the chōka (3250). Taking up the chōka, which dares to speak out in a land where people do not voice their wishes aloud, it declares that for the man she relies on, no devotion is too much. The urgency of the chōka—“only when I see you face to face will my longing cease”—is quietly turned into a resolve of devotion. Under the note “the five poems above,” this group forms a sequence with 3252 through 3254.
The poet is unknown. Book Thirteen is built mainly of anonymous chōka and their envoys, and many of its poems preserve the air of old songs and ritual verse.

The first line, “ōbune no” (of a great ship), is a pillow word for “omoi tanomu” (to rely on), from the image of entrusting oneself to a large vessel.
The second line, “omoi tanomeru,” means “whom I rely on,” with “ru” the attributive of the stative auxiliary “ri.”
In the third line, “yue ni” means “for the sake of,” placing the reason for her devotion in the person himself.
The fourth line, “tsukusu kokoro wa,” means “the heart I give wholly,” naming her devotion.
In the closing line, “oshikeku” is the nominal form of the adjective “oshi” (regrettable); negated with “mo nashi,” it declares that she grudges nothing at all.
Source: Manyoshu
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