My longing so deep,
Perhaps my soul has gone forth
Out from my own body.
If late at night you should see it,
Bind my soul and hold it fast.

Meaning

Because my longing for you is so deep, perhaps my soul has left my body and gone to you. If you see it in a dream late at night, please perform the charm to bind my soul and hold it there.

Commentary

110. Overwhelmed by Longing

There was a man who secretly visited a woman, careful to avoid the eyes of others. One day she said to him, “Last night you appeared in my dream.”
The poem was composed by the man in response to her words.

Because their love must remain hidden from others, it is likely a deep and painful one. In ancient times people believed that when longing became intense, the soul could leave the body, go to the beloved, and appear in a dream.

Source

Ise Monogatari

Other

Each evening again In the fields where many frogs Are crying aloud, The water only grows more— Though no rain at all may fall.
More than the blossoms, People have proved more fickle— So it has become. Which would I see first to fade, And then long for in my heart?
Long ago perhaps Such a thing may have been said— Only now I know: To love someone unseen yet, One whom I have never met.
As a sign they say The cord beneath should come loose When one is loved so. Yet my under-cord stays tied— So you cannot love as said.

My longing so deep, Perhaps my soul has gone forth Out from my own body. If late at night you should see it, Bind my soul and hold it fast.

My longing so deep,
Perhaps my soul has gone forth
Out from my own body.
If late at night you should see it,
Bind my soul and hold it fast.