Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
わたの原
Ono no Takamura · 参議篁
わたの原
八十島かけて
漕ぎ出でぬと
人にはつげよ
あまの釣舟
Historical kana
わたのはら
やそしまかけて
こぎいでぬと
ひとにはつげよ
あまのつりぶね
Original English translation
Tell them I have rowed away across the wide sea, past countless islands—you fishing boats of the shore.
History and context
Takamura was exiled to the Oki Islands. The Kokinshū associates this poem with his departure, giving the maritime image a concrete background of separation from the capital.
Imagery and wordplay
The speaker addresses fishing boats as messengers. The many islands emphasise increasing distance.
Kokinshū · 古今集羇旅407
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.