Ura wakazu mirume karu chō ama no mi wa nani ka Naniwa no kata e shimo yuku - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

浦わかずみるめ刈るてふ海人の身は
何かなにはの方へしも行く

Roma-ji: Ura wakazu mirume karu chō ama no mi wa nani ka Naniwa no kata e shimo yuku
English Translation: Not caring which bay,
you gather seaweed, I hear—
such a fisher's life,
why then of all places
do you head for Naniwa
Meaning: You, a fisher said to gather seaweed in any bay at all—why go especially toward Naniwa?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 553

Headnote: "Taira no Sadafun had sent word that he was going toward Naniwa."
The poet asks why he, like a fisher said to gather seaweed in any bay at all, should go especially toward Naniwa. To Taira no Sadafun, who had sent word that he was going to Naniwa, she mocks his amorous habit of meeting women everywhere.
According to the headnote, she sent this because Taira no Sadafun had written that he was going toward Naniwa. The next poem is Sadafun's reply, and the two form a pair of exchanged poems. Like 528 in this book, it pivots "mirume," seaweed, on a chance to meet.
The poet, called "Tosa," was a woman known by that name, thought to be a lady-in-waiting's sobriquet. Few details of her life have come down to us.

The first line, "Ura wakazu," means "not distinguishing one bay from another," referring to his not choosing among women.
In the second line, "mirume" is a pivot word meaning both the seaweed "mirume" and "a chance to see."
The third line, "ama no mi wa," means "a fisher such as you," a figure for Taira no Sadafun.
In the fourth line, "Naniwa" is a pivot word joining Naniwa in Settsu and "nani wa," why, echoing the sound of "nani ka."
In the last line, "shimo" is an emphatic particle: "why go especially that way?" It closes with the attributive "yuku" in answer to "ka" in the fourth line.
Author: Tosa
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Uete miru ware wa wasurede adabito ni mazu wasuraruru hana ni zo arikeru
Next Poem: Kimi o omou fukasa kurabe ni Tsu no kuni no horie mi ni yuku ware ni ya wa aranu