Ajikama no kake no minato ni iru shio no kotetazuku moga irite nemaku mo

あじかまの可家の港に入る潮の
こてたずくもが入りて寝まくも

Roma-ji: Ajikama no kake no minato ni iru shio no kotetazuku moga irite nemaku mo
English Translation: At Ajikama,
into the harbor of Kake
how the tide flows in—
oh, that I could slip in so,
slip right in and lie with her!
Meaning: As the tide flows into the harbor of Kake at Ajikama, oh, if only I could slip in like that—slip in and lie with her!
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3553

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
As the tide flows into the harbor of Kake at Ajikama, the singer wishes he could slip in to his beloved just as easily and lie with her. The natural motion of the rising tide carries his wish to enter her embrace.
It is one of the love exchanges. The harbor of Kake is of unknown location. The next poem also ends "irite nemaku mo," so the two form a pair with the same last line.
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, "ajikama no": Thought to be the same place as "Ajikama" in 3551.
Second line, "kake no minato ni": The harbor of Kake, a place of unknown location.
Third line, "iru shio no": The tide flowing into the harbor; the first three lines form a preface leading to "irite."
Fourth line, "kotetazuku moga": "Kotetazuku" is obscure, and "moga" expresses a wish; some read it as "if only I could slip in easily."
Final line, "irite nemaku mo": "Nemaku" means the act of sleeping, with "mo" exclamatory; the same last line as the next poem.
Source: Manyoshu
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