Kore ya kono na ni ou Naruto no uzushio ni tamamo karu tō ama otomedomo

これやこの名に負ふ鳴門のうづ潮に
玉藻刈るとふ海人娘子ども

Roma-ji: Kore ya kono na ni ou Naruto no uzushio ni tamamo karu tō ama otomedomo
English Translation: So these, then, are they,
in the eddies of Naruto
famed for its name,
who gather the jeweled weed,
the young fisher maidens
Meaning: So these are the fisher maidens I have heard of, who gather jeweled seaweed in the swirling tides of the famed Naruto strait.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Poems of the Envoys to Silla 3638

Headnote: "Two poems composed afterward, two nights after passing the Naruto strait of Ōshima"
The poem voices the wonder of actually seeing the fisher maidens said to gather jeweled seaweed in the swirling tides of the famed Naruto strait. The thrill of beholding a scene known only by hearsay is expressed in the opening, "kore ya kono." The violence of the eddying tide and the hardiness of the girls working within it are caught in contrast.
The author, Tanabe no Akiniwa, was a member of the embassy to Silla, but nothing further is known of his rank or office.
According to the headnote, this is one of two poems composed in recollection two nights after passing the Naruto strait of Ōshima. The strait is thought to be the Ōbatake Channel between Suō-Ōshima and the mainland, a dangerous passage with swift tidal currents. A left note reads "the above poem is by Tanabe no Akiniwa."

First line, "kore ya kono": "ya" is an interrogative binding particle, an expression of wonder confirming what is before one's eyes: is this the very thing I have heard of?
Second line, "na ni ou Naruto no": "na ni ou" means worthy of its name, famed, referring to the Naruto strait of Ōshima. It has eight syllables, one more than the usual seven, a hypermetric line.
Third line, "uzushio ni": tides that flow in swirling eddies, expressing the fierce currents of Naruto.
Fourth line, "tamamo karu tō": "tō" is a contraction of "to iu": who are said to gather jeweled seaweed, showing what he had heard tell.
Fifth line, "ama otomedomo": daughters of fishing families; ending on a noun impresses the figures of the girls before his eyes.
Author: Tanabe no Akiniwa
Source: Manyoshu
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