Mishimae no Tamae no ashi o shimeshi yori ono ga to zo omou imada karanedo - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

三島江の玉江の葦を標めしより
おのがとぞ思ふいまだ刈らねど

Roma-ji: Mishimae no Tamae no ashi o shimeshi yori ono ga to zo omou imada karanedo
English Translation: On Mishima Bay,
the reeds of Tamae Inlet,
since I marked them mine,
I have thought of them as mine,
though I have not cut them yet.
Meaning: Ever since I staked my claim to the reeds of Tamae Inlet on Mishima Bay, I have thought of them as mine, though I have not yet cut them.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Love Poems 1212

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet says that since he staked his claim to the reeds of Tamae on Mishima Bay, he has thought of them as his own, though he has not yet cut them. Likening the reeds to a woman he loves, it sings of a heart that, though no vow has yet been made, already holds the chosen one as his own. Following the woman who gave no reply in the preceding poem, 1211, it sings of longing for one not yet won.
The author, written as "Kakinomoto no Hitomaro," is Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. A court poet who served in the reigns of Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu, he is revered as the Saint of Poetry. He is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
A similar poem appears in Book Seven of the Man'yōshū, with "komo," wild rice, in place of "ashi," reeds.

First line, "Mishimae no," means "of Mishima Bay" in Settsu, an inlet along the Yodo River.
Second line, "Tamae no ashi o," means "the reeds growing at Tamae" on Mishima Bay, likening the woman he loves to them.
Third line, "shimeshi yori," means "since I marked them," with "shi" the attributive form of the past auxiliary "ki," speaking of claiming them as his own.
Fourth line, "ono ga to zo omou," means "I think of them as mine," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by the attributive "omou." The poem breaks after this fourth line, and the final line adds a concessive condition.
Final line, "imada karanedo," means "though I have not yet cut them," with "ne" the perfective form of the negative "zu" and "do" a concessive particle, speaking of a vow not yet made.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Shui Wakashu
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