Nareyuku wa ukiyo nareba ya suma no ama no shioyakigoromo madō naruran - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

なれゆくはうき世なればや須磨の海人の
塩焼き衣間遠なるらん

Roma-ji: Nareyuku wa ukiyo nareba ya suma no ama no shioyakigoromo madō naruran
English Translation: Growing used to love
in this sorrowful world, is that why—
like the salt-burners
of Suma, whose robes wear thin,
your visits grow far between
Meaning: Is it because this sad world is such that familiarity breeds weariness? Like the robes of the salt-burning fisherfolk of Suma, worn thin and coarse, your visits have grown far apart.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 1210

Headnote: "In the reign of the Tenryaku Emperor, when he sent the words 'Is it that it is coarsely woven?'"
This is the second poem of the sequence on a love whose visits have ceased. Is it because in this sad world familiarity breeds weariness that, like the coarse robes of the salt-burners of Suma, his visits have grown far apart? According to the headnote, it answers Emperor Murakami, who in his reign sent her the words "Is it that it is coarsely woven?" Tenryaku is the era name of Emperor Murakami's reign.
The author, "Imperial Consort Princess Kishi," was a daughter of Prince Shigeakira, a son of Emperor Daigo. After serving as Ise Priestess she became a consort of Emperor Murakami and was called the Priestess Consort.
The emperor's words quote the fourth line of an anonymous poem in Love Poems V of the Kokinshū: "The salt-burners' robes / of Suma are coarsely woven, / their threads far apart— / is that why you never come / to visit me any more?" This poem answers by drawing on that poem.

In the first line, "nareyuku wa," "nare" is a pivot word meaning both "growing familiar with someone" and "a robe growing worn and limp." It forms an associated word with "robe" in the fourth line.
The second line, "ukiyo nareba ya," means "is it because this is a sad world," with "ya" forming a kakari-musubi with "ran" in the last line. It laments that it is the way of the world to be wearied of once one grows familiar.
The third line, "suma no ama no," means "of the fisherfolk of Suma who burn salt," and has six syllables, one more than the norm. Suma is a famous poetic place in Settsu Province, sung as a place of salt-making.
The fourth line, "shioyakigoromo," is the rough robe worn by fisherfolk who burn salt. Because it is coarsely woven, it leads into "madō" in the last line.
The last line, "madō naruran," means "is that why it is far apart?" The coarse weave of the robe overlaps with the long intervals between visits. To the emperor, who quoted "is it that it is coarsely woven" from an old poem, she replies using the words of the same poem, gently suggesting that it is rather his visits that have grown far apart.
Author: Princess Kishi
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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