Furinikeri shigure wa sode ni aki kakete iishi bakari o matsu to seshi ma ni - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ふりにけり時雨は袖に秋かけて
言ひしばかりを待つとせしまに

Roma-ji: Furinikeri shigure wa sode ni aki kakete iishi bakari o matsu to seshi ma ni
English Translation: I have grown old, and
the cold rain falls on my sleeve;
"By autumn," you said,
and just those words were all I
had, while I thought I would wait.
Meaning: The cold rain has fallen on my sleeve and I have grown old, while I meant to wait for the words you merely spoke, promising to come by autumn.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 1334

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "For the Minase Contest of Fifteen Love Poems."
This is the fifth poem of the sequence on love sung through tear-wet sleeves and winter imagery. While I meant to wait on words merely spoken, promising autumn, the speaker says, the cold rain has fallen on my sleeve and I have grown old. Continuing from the preceding poem, it was submitted to the Minase Contest of Fifteen Love Poems.
The author, "Shunzei's Daughter, of the Master of the Empress Dowager's Household," is Shunzei's Daughter. A granddaughter of Fujiwara no Shunzei, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household, she was adopted as his daughter. She was the wife of Minamoto no Michitomo.

In the first line, "furinikeri," "furi" is a pivot word meaning both the cold rain "falling" and oneself "growing old." "Keri" marks realization, and the poem breaks after this line.
The second line, "shigure wa sode ni," means "the cold rain on my sleeve," overlaying the rain falling on the sleeve with tears.
The third line, "aki kakete," means "looking toward autumn, by autumn," and modifies "iishi," said, in the fourth line. It refers to the promise to come in autumn.
The fourth line, "iishi bakari o," means "words merely spoken." It is the same turn of phrase as Sosei's "ima komu to iishi bakari ni," the foundation poem of 1276, and Ariie's "iishi bakari no" in 1277, showing a promise of words alone.
The last line, "matsu to seshi ma ni," means "while I meant to wait." Running back in inverted order to "furinikeri" in the first line, it shows that while waiting on the promise of autumn the season has moved on to the cold rains of winter and the speaker has grown old. Michitomo's poem, 1319, likewise paired the cold rain with "furu."
Author: Shunzei's Daughter
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Mishi hito no omokage tomeyo kiyomigata sode ni seki moru nami no kayoiji
Next Poem: Kayoikoshi yado no michishiba karegare ni ato naki shimo no musubohoretsutsu