Tamakushige Futami no ura no kai shigemi makie ni miyuru matsu no muradachi - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

玉櫛笥二見の浦の貝しげみ
蒔絵に見ゆる松のむら立ち

Roma-ji: Tamakushige Futami no ura no kai shigemi makie ni miyuru matsu no muradachi
English Translation: Fine comb-box with lid—
Futami Bay's shore is lined
thick with shells, and so
like lacquer inlaid they show,
the pine trees clustered standing
Meaning: Because Futami Bay is so rich in shells, the clusters of pine trees along its shore look like a design in gold lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems I 544

Because shells lie thick along Futami Bay, the poet says, the clusters of pines standing on the shore look like a lacquer design inlaid with shell. The lovely scenery of Futami Bay in Ise is seen as the mother-of-pearl lacquerwork on a comb box.
Starting from the pillow word tamakushige, comb box, it strings together words associated with the box, the lid in Futami, the shells and the lacquerwork, making a skillfully crafted poem.

First line, 'tamakushige', means a fine box for combs, a pillow word leading to Futami because a box has a futa, a lid.
Second line, 'Futami no ura no', means of Futami Bay, a famous place in Ise; the futa in Futami is tied to the lid of the comb box in the first line.
Third line, 'kai shigemi', means since the shells are many, the stem of shigeshi with the suffix mi giving a reason. The shells call to mind the mother-of-pearl inlay of a comb box.
Fourth line, 'makie ni miyuru', means looking like gold lacquerwork, likening the shore to the decoration of a comb box. It is a related word to kushige in the first line.
Final line, 'matsu no muradachi', means the pines standing in clusters, closing on a noun.
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
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