Tatesomuru ami toru ura no hatsuzao wa tsumi no naka ni mo suguretaru kana

立て初むる網捕る浦の初竿は
罪の中にもすぐれたるかな

Roma-ji: Tatesomuru ami toru ura no hatsuzao wa tsumi no naka ni mo suguretaru kana
English Translation: The first pole they plant
in the bay where they net
the tiny shrimp—
among all the sins there are,
how it stands out above the rest!
Meaning: The first pole set up in the bay where they catch the tiny shrimp—among all sins, how it stands out!
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1372

Headnote: "When I crossed to an island called Kojima in Bizen Province, at the places where they catch what are called ami, each fisherman staked out his own spot and set up long poles with bags attached in a row. The first of these poles is called the first pole, and the eldest fisherman sets it up. Hearing the words he spoke as he set it up, my tears fell, and I was moved beyond words to compose this"
On Kojima in Bizen, fishermen staked out spots to catch tiny shrimp called ami, setting up long poles with bags; the first, called the first pole, was planted by the eldest. Hearing the words he spoke as he did so, Saigyō wept and composed this: the first pole is, among all sins of taking life, the gravest.
Saigyō, living by the Buddhist path, feels deep pity for fishermen who must kill to live. He sees the festive rite of the first pole as the beginning of sin, gazing at the weight of sin borne by those who must live. Poems on the fishing life of the Inland Sea follow.

First line, “tatesomuru”: first set up.
Second line, “ami toru ura no”: of the bay where they catch ami, small sea creatures.
Third line, “hatsuzao wa”: the first pole, the "first pole" of the headnote.
Fourth line, “tsumi no naka ni mo”: even among sins of taking life.
Fifth line, “suguretaru kana”: suguru is to stand out; "how it surpasses them."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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