Okusao to ogusazukeo to shiobune no narabete mireba ogusa kachimeri

乎久佐男と乎具佐受家男と潮舟の
並べて見れば乎具佐勝ちめり

Roma-ji: Okusao to ogusazukeo to shiobune no narabete mireba ogusa kachimeri
English Translation: The man of Okusa
and Ogusa's helper man—
like tide-borne boats
setting them side by side, I find
Ogusa seems to win.
Meaning: Setting the man of Okusa beside the helper-man of Ogusa, like boats lined up on the tide, it seems Ogusa comes out ahead.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3450

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Miscellaneous Poems"
Setting the man of Okusa beside the helper-man of Ogusa and comparing them, the singer judges that Ogusa seems the better. It is thought to be a playful song that teased two men by comparing them at a banquet or the like.
It is one of the miscellaneous poems. Okusa and Ogusa are both thought to be places of unknown location. Its wordplay on repeated sounds is its distinctive feature.
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.

First line, "okusao to": The man of Okusa, containing a place name of unknown location.
Second line, "ogusazukeo to": "Sukeo" is thought to be a helper or second man; the line is hypermetric.
Third line, "shiobune no": Boats on the sea, used almost as a pillow word for "lining up."
Fourth line, "narabete mireba": "Setting them side by side," that is, comparing them.
Final line, "ogusa kachimeri": "Meri" is inference: Ogusa seems to win.
Source: Manyoshu
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