Makuraga no koga no watari no karakaji no otodaka shimo na nenae ko yue ni

麻久良我の許我の渡りの韓楫の
音高しもな寝なへ子ゆゑに

Roma-ji: Makuraga no koga no watari no karakaji no otodaka shimo na nenae ko yue ni
English Translation: At Makuraga,
at the ferry place of Koga,
the Chinese-style oars—
how loud the talk is rising,
for a girl I have not lain with!
Meaning: Like the loud splash of Chinese oars at the Koga ferry in Makuraga, how loud the gossip is—over a girl I have not even slept with!
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3555

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Gossip rises as loud as the Chinese-style oars at the Koga ferry, though the girl is one he has not even lain with, the singer grumbles. His irritation at rumors without basis is likened to the noise of the ferry crossing.
It is one of the love exchanges. Koga in Makuraga is thought by some to be Koga in Shimōsa, near present-day Koga in Ibaraki. Makuraga is also sung in the miscellaneous poem 3449, and "Makuraga no Koga" appears again in 3558.
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, "makuraga no": A place name also seen in 3449 and 3558.
Second line, "koga no watari no": The ferry crossing at Koga, thought to be on the Tone or a similar river.
Third line, "karakaji no": "Karakaji" are thought to be oars of continental style; the first three lines form a preface leading to "otodaka."
Fourth line, "otodaka shimo na": "Otodaka" means the gossip is loud, and "mo na" is exclamatory; the poem pauses here.
Final line, "nenae ko yue ni": "Nae" is an eastern negative; the same line as "nenae ko yue ni" in 3529.
Source: Manyoshu
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