[11] わたのはらや (Watanoharaya)

 Poem Meaning and Background

Hokusai's depiction of Sangi no Takamura's poem

わたのはら・やそしまかけて・こぎいでぬと

wata no hara・yasoshima kakete・kogi idenu to

ひとにはつげよ・あまのつりぶね

hito ni wa tsugeyo・ama no tsuri bune

～参議篁（Sangi Takamura）

Translation

Over the wide sea

Towards its many distant isles

My ship sets sail.

Will the fishing boats thronged here

Proclaim my journey to the world? 

Meaning

    The background to this poem is that the author was slated to be a part of an envoy to China, but on his first attempt to travel there, the boat he was riding broke and he was forced to return home. The following year, when he was slated to try the trip again, he found that the boat again seemed to be in a state of disrepair, so he refused to get on the boat and got in a fight with the ambassador. In the end, he ended up getting out of the trip by faking an illness, which in turn angered retired Emperor Saga, who had him sent to Oki Province (now Shimane Prefecture)

    Though this poem can be read as almost refreshing, and filled with the resolve to set out on an epic journey, it can also be interpreted far differently considering the author's backstory. When he says hito ni wa tsugeyo (tell people of my journey), it can be read more of an admittance of a feeling of loneliness and trepidation as he starts out on this trip. 
    Wata no hara refers to the wide plain of the ocean stretching out before the author. 八十島 (yasoshima) is an archaism meaning "many islands". Though the 人（hito; person） in this English version was translated to "the world", the author could also be referring to people who he cares about, such as his friends or a lover who he left behind in the capitol. 

Author

Ono no Takamura, or Sangi no Takamura (802-853) was a poet and scholar of the early Heian period. Though he was sent away by retired Emperor Saga for having given up on his professional duties, he was permitted to return to the capitol a few years later. 

According to his Wikipedia page, he also seems to have some odd legends written about him, including one that he would descend a well down to hell every night and help 閻魔大王 (enma daiō, or "Yama", judge of the afterlife) with his judgments.