Tora ni nori furuya o koete aofuchi ni mizuchi torikomu tsurugitachi mo ga

虎に乗り古屋を越えて青淵に
蛟龍捕り来む剣太刀もが

Roma-ji: Tora ni nori furuya o koete aofuchi ni mizuchi torikomu tsurugitachi mo ga
English Translation: Riding on a tiger,
leaping over the old house,
in the deep blue pool
to catch the river-dragon—
O for a sword like that!
Meaning: Oh, for a sword that could let me ride a tiger, leap over the old house, and catch the dragon of the deep blue pool!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3833

Headnote: "A poem by Prince Sakaibe on various things; one poem [he was a son of Prince Hozumi]."
The poet wishes for a sword with which, riding a tiger over the old house, he might catch the dragon of the blue pool. Weaving in heroic things—a tiger, an old house, a pool, a dragon and a sword—it paints a vast world of fantasy.
It is a banquet game of working the names of several things into a poem, following Imbe no Obito's. Where the preceding poem raises laughter with vulgar objects, this one lines up heroic ones.
Prince Sakaibe was a son of Prince Hozumi who is said to have reached Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, and served as Minister of Civil Affairs. His Chinese poems appear in the anthology Kaifūsō.

First line, "tora ni nori," means "riding a tiger." With no tigers in Japan, the foreign beast lends the poem a fantastic air.
Second line, "furuya o koete," means "leaping over the old house."
Third line, "aofuchi ni," means "in the deep blue pool."
Fourth line, "mizuchi torikomu," means "to catch the river-dragon." Mizuchi is a dragon-like spirit believed to live in water.
Final line, "tsurugitachi mo ga," means "O for a sword." Mo ga expresses desire, and unlike the noun ending of the preceding poem, 3832, it closes the grand fantasy as a wish.
Author: Prince Sakaibe
Source: Manyoshu
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