Ōtomo no Mitsu ni funanori kogidete wa izure no shima ni iori semu ware

大伴の御津に船乗り漕ぎ出ては
いづれの島に廬りせむ我れ

Roma-ji: Ōtomo no Mitsu ni funanori kogidete wa izure no shima ni iori semu ware
English Translation: Boarding at Mitsu
in the land of Ōtomo,
once we row away,
on which of the islands
shall I make my shelter
Meaning: Once I board the ship at Mitsu of Ōtomo and we row out to sea, on which island, I wonder, shall I make my rough shelter for the night?
Commentary: Book Fifteen Poems of the Envoys to Silla 3593

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "The envoys sent to Silla grieve at parting and exchange poems, express their sorrowful feelings on the sea route, and recite old poems suited to the places they pass"
The poem voices unease about a journey of unknown destination: once the ship leaves the harbor of Naniwa, on which island will he have to sleep? Placed last among the three poems composed on the point of departure, it marks the beginning of the embassy's voyage. 3722 of this book, the last poem of the return journey, likewise begins with "Ōtomo no Mitsu," so that the sequence of the envoys to Silla begins and ends at Mitsu of Ōtomo.
A left note reads "the above three poems were composed on the point of departure"; the three poems from 3591 to 3593 were made as the moment of setting out drew near. The author is not named.

First line, "Ōtomo no": the Naniwa area was anciently within the sphere of the Ōtomo clan, and "Ōtomo no" is a place name crowning Mitsu.
Second line, "Mitsu ni funanori": "Mitsu" is the harbor of Naniwa, given the honorific "mi" as a port for official ships. Here he boards the ship.
Third line, "kogidete wa": once we have rowed out; "te wa" becomes the starting point from which he imagines the voyage ahead.
Fourth line, "izure no shima ni": "izure" is an indefinite: on which island. It is a question picturing the islands of the Inland Sea.
Fifth line, "iori semu ware": "iori" means to build a rough hut and lodge in it. Inverted so that "ware" (I) comes last, the poem gazes at himself, bound for an unknown place.
Source: Manyoshu
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