Mirume karu kata zo ōmi ni nashi to kiku tamamo o sae ya ama wa kazukanu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

みるめ刈る方ぞあふみになしと聞く
玉藻をさへや海人はかづかぬ

Roma-ji: Mirume karu kata zo ōmi ni nashi to kiku tamamo o sae ya ama wa kazukanu
English Translation: In Ōmi, I hear,
there are no shores at all
to gather mirume—
must the fisher, then, not dive
even for the jeweled weeds
Meaning: They say there is no shore in Ōmi, the land of meeting, where mirume weed—a chance to see you—can be gathered. But will the fisher not dive even for jewel-like seaweed?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems III 772

Headnote: "Sent to someone he loved but could not meet."
The poet says he hears there is nowhere in Ōmi to gather mirume, and asks whether the fisher will not even dive for fine seaweed. He pleads that even if they cannot meet, she might at least send him word.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to someone he cared for but was unable to meet. The next poem, 773, is the reply.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

In the first line, "mirume karu," "mirume" is a pivot word meaning both the seaweed "mirume" and "mirume," a chance to see one's love.
In the second line, "kata zo ōmi ni," "ōmi" is a pivot word joining Ōmi, the land of the great lake, with "au mi," one who meets. It draws on the fact that no seaweed grows in Ōmi's freshwater lake. "Zo" is an emphatic particle.
The third line, "nashi to kiku," means "I hear there is none," closing with the attributive "kiku" in answer to "zo" in the second line, a kakarimusubi pattern. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "tamamo o sae ya," means "even the jewel-like weed," with "sae" expressing addition and "ya" an interrogative particle. "Itsu ka tamamo o" in the fourth line of the next poem, 773, takes up these words.
The last line, "ama wa kazukanu," means "will the fisher not dive for," closing with the attributive "kazukanu" in answer to "ya" in the fourth line, a kakarimusubi pattern.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Namidagawa nagasu nezame mo aru mono o harau bakari no tsuyu ya nani nari
Next Poem: Na nomi shite au koto nami no shigeki ma ni itsu ka tamamo o ama wa kazukan