Ariso ya ni ouru tamamo no uchinabiki hitori ya nuramu a o machikanete

荒礒やに生ふる玉藻のうち靡き
ひとりや寝らむ我を待ちかねて

Roma-ji: Ariso ya ni ouru tamamo no uchinabiki hitori ya nuramu a o machikanete
English Translation: On the rugged shore
the jeweled seaweed growing there
sways and bends low:
does she lie alone tonight,
tired of waiting long for me?
Meaning: Like the seaweed swaying on the rocky shore, does she lie down alone tonight, weary of waiting for me?
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3562

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
As the seaweed on the rocky shore bends with the waves, does his beloved lie down alone, weary of waiting for him? The supple sway of seaweed in the waves is laid over the image of her lying lonely.
It is one of the love exchanges. From here, poems of seaweed by the shore follow, and the next poem sings of wakame on the rocks. "Tamamo" is also sung in 3397 from Hitachi.
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, "ariso ya ni": "Ariso" is a rocky, rough shore, and "ya" is thought to be an interjectory particle.
Second line, "ouru tamamo no": Beautiful seaweed growing there, a word also seen in 3397. The first two lines form a preface.
Third line, "uchinabiki": "Uchinabiki" is lying down, laid over the seaweed swaying.
Fourth line, "hitori ya nuramu": "Ya" is an interrogative binding particle answered by "ramu."
Final line, "a o machikanete": "Kane" means unable: tired of waiting. The inversion gives the reason at the end.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kanatoda o aragaki mayumi hi ga toreba ame o matonosu kimi o to matomo
Next Poem: Hitagata no iso no wakame no tachimidae wa o ka matsunamo kizo mo koyoi mo