Fuchise to mo isa ya shiranami tachisawagu waga mi hitotsu wa yoru kata mo nashi - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

淵瀬ともいさやしら浪立ち騒ぐ
我が身ひとつは寄る方もなし

Roma-ji: Fuchise to mo isa ya shiranami tachisawagu waga mi hitotsu wa yoru kata mo nashi
English Translation: Pool or shallows—
who can say, where white waves
rise and toss about?
I alone, this self of mine,
have no shore on which to rest
Meaning: Pools or shallows, I know nothing of them; amid the clamor of white waves, I alone have nowhere to draw near.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 526

Headnote: "Reply."
The poet says that he knows nothing of pools or shallows, and that amid the clamor of white waves he alone has nowhere to draw near. Taking up the pools and shallows of the preceding poem, he denies the charge of turning to another woman and answers that it is he who has nowhere to turn.
It is a reply to the preceding poem. It answers "se" and "fuchi" in the preceding poem with "fuchise," and "waga mi" with "waga mi hitotsu."
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Fuchise to mo," means "whether pool or shallows," taking up "se" and "fuchi" in the preceding poem.
In the second line, "isa ya" means "who can say," and "shira" is a pivot word meaning both "not knowing" and "white," as in white waves.
The third line, "tachisawagu," means "the waves rise and clamor," overlaid with a troubled heart.
The fourth line, "waga mi hitotsu wa," means "I alone," taking up "waga mi narikeru" in the last line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "yoru kata mo nashi," means "there is nowhere to draw near," with "yoru," to draw near, an associated word with waves.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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