Ofu no saki kogi tamotori hinemosu ni mi tomo akubeki ura ni aranaku ni

乎布の崎漕ぎた廻りひねもすに
見とも飽くべき浦にあらなくに

Roma-ji: Ofu no saki kogi tamotori hinemosu ni mi tomo akubeki ura ni aranaku ni
English Translation: Round the Cape of Ofu
we would row, back and forth,
the whole day long,
and still it is not a bay
of which one could ever tire.
Meaning: Even if we rowed back and forth around the Cape of Ofu all day long, it is not the kind of bay one could ever grow tired of.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4037

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "At that time it was agreed to go sightseeing on the lagoon of Fuse the next day, and so each expressed his feelings in a poem."
Answering Sakimaro's question in the preceding poem, Yakamochi says that even if one rowed around the Cape of Ofu all day, one would never tire of the bay. Taking up his guest's "what sort of place," he proudly describes the beauty of the lagoon of Fuse, revealing his eagerness as a host to show it.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
The text notes a variant last line, "kimi ga towasu mo." As this is not part of the poem itself, it has been omitted, and the main reading "ura ni aranaku ni" is followed. According to the variant, the poem would end "that you should ask," answering the preceding question directly.

First line, "Ofu no saki": a cape jutting into the lagoon of Fuse, in present-day Himi. Naming a specific place, the poet begins his answer.
Second line, "kogi tamotori": "tamotoru" means to go back and forth or circle about, depicting the boat rowing here and there around the cape.
Third line, "hinemosu ni": "all day long," expressing the length of the outing.
Fourth line, "mi tomo akubeki": "tomo" is a concessive, "even if one looks." "Beki" expresses possibility or naturalness, "such as one would tire of."
Last line, "ura ni aranaku ni": a hypermetric line of eight syllables. "Naku ni" is an exclamation containing a negative, trailing off with "it is not such a bay" and leaving a lingering feeling. It answers the question "Fuse no ura zo mo" of the preceding poem with the same word, "ura."
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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