Namikazu ni aranu mi nareba Sumiyoshi no kishi ni mo yorazu nari ya hatenan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

なみかずにあらぬ身なれば住吉の
岸にも寄らずなりやはてなん

Roma-ji: Namikazu ni aranu mi nareba Sumiyoshi no kishi ni mo yorazu nari ya hatenan
English Translation: Not counted among
the waves, the common run of men,
am I to end so,
never drawing near the shore
of Sumiyoshi at all
Meaning: Being one not counted among the common run—not even among the waves—am I to end without ever drawing near the shore of Sumiyoshi?
Commentary: Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems III 1210

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet asks whether, being one not counted among the common run, he will end without ever drawing near the shore of Sumiyoshi. Joining "namikazu," the number of the waves, with "namikazu," ordinary rank, he likens himself to a wave that can never reach the shore.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," but it is treated here as anonymous.

The first line, "Namikazu ni," is a pivot word joining "namikazu," the number of the waves, with "namikazu," the common run of people.
The second line, "aranu mi nareba," means "since I am not among them," with "ba" giving the cause.
The third line, "Sumiyoshi no," means "of Sumiyoshi" in Settsu, a famous poetic place.
The fourth line, "kishi ni mo yorazu," means "never drawing near the shore," with "wave," "shore," and "draw near" associated words. It figures his being unable to approach the one he loves.
The last line, "nari ya hatenan," means "am I to end so," with the interrogative binding particle "ya" closed by the attributive "nan."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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