風吹けばとはに浪こす岩なれや
わが衣手のかわく時なき
わが衣手のかわく時なき
- Roma-ji
-
Kaze fukeba towa ni nami kosu iwa nare ya
waga koromode no kawaku toki naki - English Translation
-
When the wind blows on,
Is it like a rock always
Crossed by rising waves?
My sleeves of my robe
Have no time at all to dry.
- Meaning
- When the wind blows, is it like a rock that the waves endlessly wash over? My sleeves are always wet with tears and never have a time to dry.
- Commentary
-
108. When the Wind Blows
The poem was composed by a woman lamenting the man’s heartlessness.
The waves that rise when the wind blows suggest the man’s easily changing feelings. The woman compares herself to a rock in the sea, over which the waves constantly pass, meaning that her sleeves are forever wet with tears and never have time to dry.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
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