Toshi no ha ni ayu shi hashiraba Sakitagawa u yatsu kazukete kawase tazunemu

年のはに鮎し走らば辟田川
鵜八つ潜けて川瀬尋ねむ

Roma-ji: Toshi no ha ni ayu shi hashiraba Sakitagawa u yatsu kazukete kawase tazunemu
English Translation: Every single year
when the sweetfish run swiftly,
in Sakita River
sending many cormorants diving,
the shallows I shall seek out
Meaning: Every year, when the sweetfish run, I will send many cormorants diving into the Sakita River and go seeking along its shallows.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4158

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem on fishing with cormorants, with short poems"
The second envoy to the long poem on cormorant fishing, it says that every year, when the sweetfish season comes, the poet will send cormorants diving in the Sakita River and go round its shallows fishing. It makes concrete the "never ceasing" of the preceding poem as a yearly practice, "every year."
The lively image of sweetfish "running" conveys the richness of the rivers of Etchū and the poet's high spirits as he enjoys cormorant fishing.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "toshi no ha ni" (every year), restates the "never ceasing" of the preceding poem as a yearly practice.
Second line, "ayu shi hashiraba" (when the sweetfish run): "shi" is emphatic, "run" describes the fish darting vigorously, and the conditional "ba" makes the coming of the season the condition.
Third line, "Sakitagawa" (the Sakita River), places the same river name in the same position as in the preceding poem, matching the two envoys.
Fourth line, "u yatsu kazukete" (sending many cormorants diving): "yatsu" means many, and "kazuku" means to make dive, depicting a scene of numerous cormorants plunging in.
Fifth line, "kawase tazunemu" (I will seek out the shallows), expresses the intent to search the river shallows, closing with anticipation of the pleasures of cormorant fishing.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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