Ao no ura ni yosuru shiranami iyamashi ni tachishiki yoseku ayu o itami kamo

阿尾の浦に寄する白波いや増しに
立ちしき寄せ来東風をいたみかも

Roma-ji: Ao no ura ni yosuru shiranami iyamashi ni tachishiki yoseku ayu o itami kamo
English Translation: On the Bay of Ao
the white waves that break ashore
ever higher now
rise and press upon the beach—
is the east wind blowing hard?
Meaning: The white waves breaking on Ao Bay rise and surge in ever higher, one upon another—is it because the east wind is blowing so hard?
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4093

Headnote: "A poem composed on the day I went to the Bay of Ao."
The poet wonders whether the white waves surging ever higher against Ao Bay are driven by a fierce east wind. Composed on the day he visited the bay, it powerfully captures the rough waves of the Etchū sea.
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 left note reads, "The poem above was composed by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi."

First line, "Ao no ura ni": Ao Bay is on the coast of Etchū, around Ao in present-day Himi, Toyama. The headnote writes the name with different characters.
Second line, "yosuru shiranami": the white waves breaking on the shore, picturing the sea of Etchū.
Third line, "iyamashi ni": "ever more," the growing force of the waves. It shares the phrase with "michi kuru shio no iyamashi ni" in 4045, and the expressions of the swelling sea answer each other.
Fourth line, "tachishiki yoseku": "shiku" means to pile up or to do repeatedly, the waves rising one upon another as they come in. The poem pauses after the fourth line.
Last line, "ayu o itami kamo": "ayu" is thought to be a word of Koshi for the east wind, and "o … mi" expresses cause. "Kamo" is an exclamation with a question: "is it because the east wind is so strong?"
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Hototogisu ito netakeku wa tachibana no hana chiru toki ni ki naki toyomuru
Next Poem: Masurao no kokoro omohoyu ōkimi no mikoto no saki o kikeba tōtomi