Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
世の中は
Minamoto no Sanetomo · 鎌倉右大臣
世の中は
常にもがもな
渚こぐ
海士の小舟の
綱手かなしも
Historical kana
よのなかは
つねにもがもな
なぎさこぐ
あまのをぶねの
つなでかなしも
Original English translation
If only the world could remain forever as it is: how dear the towrope of the fisher’s little boat moving along the shore.
History and context
Sanetomo was the third Kamakura shōgun and a waka poet. His political biography adds resonance to this wish for permanence, but the poem itself attends to an ordinary scene of coastal work.
Imagery and wordplay
The humble towrope becomes precious. A wish to halt change arises from a small, passing sight.
Shinchokusenshū · 新勅撰集羇旅525
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.