Ōigawa iwanami takashi ikadashi yo kishi no momiji ni akarame na se so - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

大井川岩波高し筏士よ
岸の紅葉にあからめなせそ

Roma-ji: Ōigawa iwanami takashi ikadashi yo kishi no momiji ni akarame na se so
English Translation: On the Ōi River
the waves against the rocks are high;
O raftsman, beware,
at the bright leaves on the bank
do not let your eyes wander
Meaning: The waves crash high against the rocks of the Ōi River. Raftsman, do not let your eyes stray to the autumn leaves along the bank.
Commentary: Book Three Autumn Poems 245

The waves are high and dangerous where the Ōi River strikes the rocks, so the poet calls out to the raftsman not to look away at the lovely leaves on the bank. Through a warning to the raftsman, the poem conveys a beauty of autumn leaves that would make anyone's eyes wander.
The Ōi River, famous for its autumn leaves, also appears in poems 248 and 253 in this book. In poem 249 the author likewise calls out to a mountain warden, sharing the device of singing of autumn leaves in the form of a command.
From poem 243 through poem 253 in this book come poems on autumn leaves, from trees just beginning to turn to leaves scattering until they fill rivers and waterfalls.
The author, Tsunenobu, is Minamoto no Tsunenobu. A son of Minamoto no Michikata, he rose to Major Counselor and was called the Katsura Counselor. In his last years he died at his post as Provisional Governor-General of Dazaifu. He was the father of the compiler, Minamoto no Toshiyori.

First line, 'ōigawa', is the river flowing at the foot of Arashiyama in Kyoto, famous for its autumn leaves. Poems 248 and 253 in this book open with the same line.
Second line, 'iwanami takashi', means the waves rising against the rocks are high. The poem breaks after the second line.
Third line, 'ikadashi yo', calls out to the raftsman who steers rafts down the river.
Fourth line, 'kishi no momiji ni', means at the autumn leaves on the bank.
Final line, 'akarame na se so', uses akarame, letting one's eyes stray, in the prohibition na ... so. Like 'have them cut around them' in poem 249 in this book, it expresses love for the leaves in the form of a command.
Author: Minamoto no Tsunenobu
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
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