Ōumi no shio hite yama ni naru made ni kimi wa kawaranu kimi ni mashimase

大海の潮干て山になるまでに
君は変はらぬ君にましませ

Roma-ji: Ōumi no shio hite yama ni naru made ni kimi wa kawaranu kimi ni mashimase
English Translation: Until the great sea
dries its tides and turns into
mountains standing high,
may my lord remain my lord,
ever constant and unchanged.
Meaning: Until the tides of the great sea dry up and turn into mountains, may our lord remain ever our lord, unchanged.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1175

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Congratulations"
Until the great sea's tides dry up and it becomes mountains, may our lord remain our unchanging lord, the poet prays.
Invoking the impossibly long time it would take for the sea to become mountains, he prays for the lord's eternal life and an unchanging reign. Repeating "lord" in "the lord who does not change as lord" strengthens the wish for constancy.

First line, “ōumi no”: of the great sea.
Second line, “shio hite yama ni”: its tides drying and turning to mountains.
Third line, “naru made ni”: until it becomes so, an impossibly long time.
Fourth line, “kimi wa kawaranu”: the lord, unchanging.
Fifth line, “kimi ni mashimase”: mashimase is the imperative of the honorific mashimasu, "please remain so."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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