Amatsukaze Fukei no ura ni iru tazu no nadoka kumoi ni kaerazaru beki - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

天つ風吹飯の浦にゐる鶴の
などか雲居に帰らざるべき

Roma-ji: Amatsukaze Fukei no ura ni iru tazu no nadoka kumoi ni kaerazaru beki
English Translation: Where the heavenly wind
blows at the Bay of Fukei,
a crane stands resting;
how could it be that it would
never go back to the clouds?
Meaning: The crane that stands at the Bay of Fukei, where the heavenly wind blows—how could it fail to return to the clouds above?
Commentary: Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1723

Headnote: "Composed on leaving the Courtiers' Hall."
A poem by one who had left the court. Why should the crane that has come down to the Bay of Fukei not one day return to the clouds? According to the headnote, it was composed when he was no longer permitted to attend the Courtiers' Hall, and, seeing himself in the crane on the shore, he looks forward to the day he returns to court.
The author, "Fujiwara no Kiyotada," was the son of Fujiwara no Kanesuke. He served as Governor of Kii and other posts, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
The Bay of Fukei is a shore in Izumi Province, in present-day Misaki Town, Sennan District, Osaka Prefecture, a poetic place sung of together with "the heavenly wind."

The first line, "amatsukaze," means "wind blowing in the sky," and through the sound of "fuku," to blow, it leads to the place name Fukei.
The second line, "Fukei no ura ni," is the name of the poetic place. A bay far from the capital is laid over one who has left the court.
The third line, "iru tazu no," is a crane that has come down to rest on the shore. As a bird of the clouds, the crane figures the poet himself.
In the fourth line, "nadoka kumoi ni," "kumoi" is the sky, a figure for the court. "Nadoka" is rhetorical, meaning "how could it be." Following "kumoi tobu" in the poem two before, the word "kumoi" is repeated.
The last line, "kaerazaru beki," closes with the attributive "beki" answering "nadoka." The rhetorical question, "how could it not return? It surely will," shows his strong hope of returning to court.
Author: Fujiwara no Kiyotada
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Shiratsuyu wa okite kawaredo momoshiki no utsurou aki wa mono zo kanashiki
Next Poem: Inishie no nareshi kumoi o shinobu to ya kasumi o wakete kimi tazunekemu