Murasaki no Kogata no umi ni kazuku tori tama kazukideba waga tama ni semu

紫の粉潟の海に潜く鳥
玉潜き出ば我が玉にせむ

Roma-ji: Murasaki no Kogata no umi ni kazuku tori tama kazukideba waga tama ni semu
English Translation: In Kogata's sea,
deep as violet dye,
the diving bird—
should it dive and bring up a pearl,
I will make that pearl my own.
Meaning: If the bird that dives in the sea of Kogata comes up with a pearl, I shall make that pearl my own.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3870

Headnote: none; the left note reads: "The above is one poem."
The poet says that if the bird diving in the sea of Kogata comes up with a pearl, he will make it his own. The pearl is taken to stand for a lovely girl, and the wish to win the one he loves is entrusted to a sea bird in a folk-song manner.
The left note records only "the above is one poem," and its author and origin are unknown. Where Kogata lay is not known.
The poet is not recorded.

First line, "murasaki no," is a pillow word for the sound ko, from the deepness (koi) of purple dye.
Second line, "Kogata no umi ni," means "in the sea of Kogata," a place whose location is unknown.
Third line, "kazuku tori," means "the diving bird." The first three lines lead into tama kazukideba in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "tama kazukideba," means "if it dives and brings up a pearl." The pearl is taken to stand for a lovely girl.
Final line, "waga tama ni semu," means "I shall make it my pearl." It is the same last line as poem 3814, where it was a suitor's plea to a remarried woman; here it becomes a wish entrusted to a sea bird.
Source: Manyoshu
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