Naru sero ni kotsu no yosu nasu itonokite kanashike sero ni hito sae yosu mo

鳴る瀬ろにこつの寄すなすいとのきて
愛しけ背ろに人さへ寄すも

Roma-ji: Naru sero ni kotsu no yosu nasu itonokite kanashike sero ni hito sae yosu mo
English Translation: In the roaring rapids,
as the driftwood chips are drawn,
above all others,
to my dearest man, alas,
even other women are drawn.
Meaning: As wood chips gather in the roaring rapids, so others too are drawn to my darling man, dearest above all.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3548

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
As wood chips gather in the roaring rapids, other women too are drawn to her beloved, dearest above all—so a woman frets. Anxiety about rivals is expressed through the image of chips drifting together in a stream.
It is one of the love exchanges. Repeating "yosu" in the second and last lines, it matches the river scene to the human world.
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, "naru sero ni": "Naru sero" are loudly flowing rapids, with the eastern suffix "ro."
Second line, "kotsu no yosu nasu": "Kotsu" are wood chips, and "yosu nasu" means as they are drawn in. The first two lines form a preface.
Third line, "itonokite": "Itonokite" means above all, especially.
Fourth line, "kanashike sero ni": "Kanashike" is an eastern form of "kanashiki," and "sero" an eastern endearment for a lover.
Final line, "hito sae yosu mo": "Even others are drawn," answering "yosu" in the second line; "mo" is exclamatory.
Source: Manyoshu
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