八百日行く浜の真砂と我が恋と
いづれまされり沖つ島守
いづれまされり沖つ島守
- Roma-ji
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Yaoka yuku hama no masago to waga koi to izure masareri okitsu shimamori
- English Translation
-
The fine sands that lie
along a shore eight hundred days
long, or else my love—
which of the two is greater,
O guardian of the isle?
- Meaning
- Which is greater—the sands of a beach so long it would take eight hundred days to walk, or my love? Tell me, guardian of the island offshore.
- Commentary
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Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 889
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem asks the island guard offshore which is greater: the sands of a beach so long it takes eight hundred days to walk, or my love. It boldly sings, in the form of a question to the island guard, of a love so vast that even the countless sands of the shore cannot match it.
Book Four of the Man'yōshū contains a similar poem sent by Lady Kasa to Ōtomo no Yakamochi, with the lines from the second onward reading "hama no masago mo waga koi ni ani masaraji ka okitsu shimamori."
First line, "yaoka yuku," means "so long it takes eight hundred days to walk," exaggerating the endless length of the beach.
Second line, "hama no masago to," means "the fine sands of the beach," an image of the countless.
Third line, "waga koi to," means "and my love," repeating "to" from the second line to set the two side by side.
Fourth line, "izure masareri," means "which is the greater." The poem breaks here.
Final line, "okitsu shimamori," means "O guard of the island offshore," closing with a call. "Tsu" is an old case particle meaning "of." It is as if asking the guard who watches over the shore to judge the abundance of love.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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