Oto nomi ni kikite me ni minu fuse no ura o mizu wa noboraji toshi wa henu tomo

音のみに聞きて目に見ぬ布勢の浦を
見ずは上らじ年は経ぬとも

Roma-ji: Oto nomi ni kikite me ni minu fuse no ura o mizu wa noboraji toshi wa henu tomo
English Translation: Known to me by sound,
heard of but never seen
with my own two eyes—
till I see Fuse Bay I will not
go up to the capital, though years should pass.
Meaning: Fuse Bay, which I have only heard of and never seen with my own eyes—I will not go back up to the capital until I have seen it, even if years should pass.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4039

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."
The poet vows not to return to the capital until he has seen Fuse Bay, known to him only by reputation, even if years should pass. By making this exaggerated vow, he praises the fame of the bay and the kindness of the host who wishes to show it to him.
Tanabe no Sakimaro was a clerk in the Office of Sake Brewing who came to Etchū as the messenger of the Minister of the Left, Tachibana no Moroe. He was a poet of the late Man'yō period, skilled at long poems in praise of the court.

First line, "oto nomi ni": "oto" means reputation or rumor. It sets a limit: "only by hearsay."
Second line, "kikite me ni minu": contrasting ear and eye, it conveys the frustration of not yet having seen the place.
Third line, "Fuse no ura o": following the preceding poem, it names Fuse Bay and keeps the theme of the sequence.
Fourth line, "mizu wa noboraji": "noboru" means going up to the capital. "Ji" expresses negative intention: "I will not go back without seeing it." The poem pauses here, and the last line is added in inverted order.
Last line, "toshi wa henu tomo": "tomo" is a concessive, "even if years should pass." Like "toshi wa henikeru" in 4033 it speaks of passing years, but whereas that poem looks back on years gone by, this one speaks of years to come, forming a contrast.
Author: Tanabe no Sakimaro
Source: Manyoshu
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