Yasu yasu mo ikeraba aramu o hata ya hata munagi o toru to kawa ni nagaru na

痩す痩すも生けらばあらむをはたやはた
鰻を捕ると川に流るな

Roma-ji: Yasu yasu mo ikeraba aramu o hata ya hata munagi o toru to kawa ni nagaru na
English Translation: Skinny as you are,
still, if you live, that's enough—
but just in case, mind,
when you go to catch that eel,
don't get washed downriver!
Meaning: Skinny as you are, it's enough just to be alive; but mind you, when you go after eels, don't get swept away by the river!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3854

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems laughing at a thin man."
Reversing the advice of the preceding poem, the poet says it is enough to be alive, however thin, and warns Iwamaro not to get swept away chasing eels. Having urged him to eat eel, he now jokes that so thin a body might be carried off by the river.
According to the left note, there was a man named Yoshida no Muraji Oyu, called Iwamaro, the son of the so-called Ninkyō. He was extremely thin, and however much he ate and drank he looked like a starving man. So Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi made these poems in jest to laugh at him.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito; he held posts including Governor of Etchū and rose to Junior Third Rank and Middle Counselor. He is thought to have been deeply involved in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "yasu yasu mo," means "thin as thin can be," repeating the word to stress how scrawny he is.
Second line, "ikeraba aramu o," means "if you live, that's enough." Hypermetric at eight syllables, the concessive o leads on.
Third line, "hata ya hata," means "just in case" or "perhaps," repeated to feign worry over the worst.
Fourth line, "munagi o toru to," means "going to catch eels," taking up "munagi tori mese" from the preceding poem, 3853.
Final line, "kawa ni nagaru na," means "don't get washed away." Having recommended eels before, the poet now warns against catching them, a reversal that completes the joke of the pair.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Iwamaro ni ware mono mōsu natsuyase ni yoshi to iu mono zo munagi tori mese
Next Poem: Sōkyō ni hai ōtoreru kusokazura tayuru koto naku miyazukae semu