Ajiro ni wa shizumu mikuzu mo nakarikeri Uji no watari ni ware ya sumamashi - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

網代には沈む水屑もなかりけり
宇治のわたりに我や住ままし

Roma-ji: Ajiro ni wa shizumu mikuzu mo nakarikeri Uji no watari ni ware ya sumamashi
English Translation: At the fishing weirs
not even the drifting debris
is ever left to sink —
shall I, then, go make my home
somewhere around Uji's banks
Meaning: At the fishing weirs not even the debris sinks; shall I, then, make my home somewhere near Uji?
Commentary: Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 366

Seeing that at the fishing weirs of the Uji River even the debris that drifts down is caught and nothing sinks, the poet wonders whether he, sunk in obscurity, should go and live near Uji. Overlaying himself with the debris, he seeks a place where he need not sink, with a touch of playfulness.

The first line, "ajiro ni wa," names the weirs of woven bamboo or wood set in a river to catch fish.
The second line, "shizumu mikuzu mo," refers to debris that sinks, overlaid with one sunk in misfortune.
The third line, "nakarikeri," ends with the exclamatory "keri," with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "Uji no watari ni," refers to the Uji area of Yamashiro Province, known for its weirs.
The final line, "ware ya sumamashi," forms a kakari-musubi of "ya" and the attributive "mashi" expressing hesitant intention: shall I live there?
Source: Shika Wakashu
Prev Poem: Waga omou koto no shigesa ni kurabureba Shinoda no mori no chie wa kazu ka wa
Next Poem: Ōhara ya mada sumigama mo narawaneba waga yado nomi zo keburi taetaru