More than burning coals
That cling and burn upon me,
What is more sorrow—
Is the parting that must be
By the shore of Miyakojima.

Meaning

More painful even than burning coals clinging to the body is the sorrow of parting with you by the shore of Miyakojima.

Commentary

115. Burning Coals

A man and a woman were living together in the Ōu region. When the man said that he wished to return to the capital, the woman became deeply sorrowful. At least wishing to hold a farewell banquet, she arranged a gathering at a distant embankment by the sea, at a place called Miyakojima.
The poem was composed by the woman as she served the man wine.

In former times, even when a man from the capital married a local woman, the woman was often unable to go up to the capital with him and was left behind when they parted. This poem expresses the woman’s sorrow at such a farewell.

Source

Ise Monogatari

Other

Within this brief life That cannot last very long, To be forgotten— How exceedingly short Such a heart must surely be.
Reproach me not That I seem like an old man. In my hunting robe, Only for this day, they say— Even the cranes cry so.
From between the waves The eaves of a fisher’s hut On a little isle— Long it has become indeed Since I last met and saw you.
Even I, seeing it, Find that long years have now passed— At Sumiyoshi shore, That fair pine upon the bank, How many ages has it known?

More than burning coals That cling and burn upon me, What is more sorrow— Is the parting that must be By the shore of Miyakojima.

More than burning coals
That cling and burn upon me,
What is more sorrow—
Is the parting that must be
By the shore of Miyakojima.