Yamagawa no kiyoki kawase ni asobedomo Nara no miyako wa wasurekanetsu mo

山川の清き川瀬に遊べども
奈良の都は忘れかねつも

Roma-ji: Yamagawa no kiyoki kawase ni asobedomo Nara no miyako wa wasurekanetsu mo
English Translation: In the clear shallows
of the mountain stream
though I take my ease,
yet Nara, the capital,
I cannot forget
Meaning: Though I take my pleasure in the clear shallows of the mountain stream, I cannot forget Nara, the capital.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Poems of the Envoys to Silla 3618

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Five poems composed while anchored by the rocky shore of Nagato Island in Aki Province"
A poem of homesickness: though he enjoys himself in the clear shallows of the island's mountain stream, he cannot forget Nara, the capital. It expresses the typical feeling of a travel poem, savoring the beauty of the land while the heart turns toward the capital. The lower phrase is the same as that of 3613 of this book, made at Nagai Bay, so that the same lament recurs at each stage of the journey. It may have been composed at a banquet.
According to the headnote, this is one of five poems composed while anchored by the rocky shore of Nagato Island in Aki Province, thought to be present-day Kurahashi Island in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. Of the five, only the first has its author named in a left note; the author of this poem is not named.

First line, "yamagawa no": a river flowing through the mountains, here the stream running through the island's valleys.
Second line, "kiyoki kawase ni": "kawase" is the shallows of a river, praising the clear current.
Third line, "asobedomo": "asobu" means to delight the heart; with the adversative "domo" it turns: though I take my pleasure.
Fourth line, "Nara no miyako wa": the Heijō capital the embassy had left behind.
Fifth line, "wasurekanetsu mo": I cannot forget it; the same fourth and fifth lines as in 3613 of this book.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Iwabashiru taki mo todoro ni naku semi no koe o shi kikeba miyako shi omōyu
Next Poem: Iso no ma yu tagitsu yamagawa taezu araba mata mo aimimu aki katamakete