All the more, as I go farther on,
how I long for the place I have left—
how enviable are the waves
that return again.

Meaning

As I go ever farther on, I long for the place I have left behind; how enviable are the waves that return again.

Commentary

Episode Seven: "How enviable are the returning waves"

A man, finding it painful to remain in the capital, went to the Eastern Provinces.
As he passed along the seacoast near the border of Ise and Owari, and saw the white-crested waves, he composed this poem.

Though he left because it had become difficult to live there, the poem expresses the feelings of a man of the capital, tormented by unbearable homesickness and lingering attachment during his journey.

Source

Ise Monogatari

Other

On the secret path I tread unseen by others, may the gatekeeper who stands watch there each night fall asleep night after night.
When she asked, “Is it a white jewel?”— had I but answered, “It is dew,” and vanished away.
From Mount Asama in Shinano, rising smoke— do people far and near not see it and take alarm?
Clad in Chinese robes, long worn and grown familiar— because I have a wife so dear and close to me, how keenly I feel this distant journey.

All the more, as I go farther on, how I long for the place I have left— how enviable are the waves that return again.

All the more, as I go farther on,
how I long for the place I have left—
how enviable are the waves
that return again.