Seto wataru tananashi obune kokoro seyo arare midaruru shimaki yokogiru

瀬戸渡る棚無し小舟心せよ
霰乱るるしまき横切る

Roma-ji: Seto wataru tananashi obune kokoro seyo arare midaruru shimaki yokogiru
English Translation: Crossing through the strait,
you little boat without a deck,
take care, have a care!
the hail flying wild and thick,
a squall sweeps across the sea.
Meaning: You little open boat crossing the strait, take care! A squall sweeps across the sea, with hail flying wild.
Commentary: Winter Poems 544

Headnote: "Hail on a boat"
The topic is hail on a boat. The poet calls out to a little open boat crossing a narrow strait to take care, for a fierce wind is sweeping across the sea, flinging hail in every direction. The poem catches the rough winter sea and the peril of the small boat crossing it in a tense, urgent tone.
Tananashi obune, a little boat without side planks, is a phrase long used in poetry, standing for a small and fragile craft.

First line, “seto wataru”: seto is a narrow strait between closely facing shores.
Second line, “tananashi obune”: tananashi obune is a small boat without side planks, the one being addressed.
Third line, “kokoro seyo”: take care, a call to the boat; the poem breaks after the third line.
Fourth line, “arare midaruru”: hail flying wild; midaruru is attributive and modifies shimaki in the last line.
Fifth line, “shimaki yokogiru”: shimaki is a fierce wind blowing with snow or rain, sweeping across the sea, closing on the reason for the warning.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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