Okibe ni mo yoranu tamamo no nami no ue ni midarete nomi ya koiwatarinamu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

沖辺にも寄らぬ玉藻の波の上に
乱れてのみや恋ひわたりなむ

Roma-ji: Okibe ni mo yoranu tamamo no nami no ue ni midarete nomi ya koiwatarinamu
English Translation: Drifting to no shore
nor out to the open sea
the jewel-weed floats
tangled on the waves, and so
must I go on loving in turmoil
Meaning: Like the fine seaweed that drifts toward neither the offing nor the shore, tossed and tangled on the waves, must I go on loving, my heart forever in turmoil?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 532

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poem overlays the seaweed drifting among the waves, reaching neither the open sea nor the shore, with the poet going on loving with a heart unsettled and in turmoil. The image of seaweed with nowhere to rest symbolizes a love that can neither draw close to the beloved nor give up.

First line, "Drifting to no shore": okibe ni mo means toward the offing too.
Second line, "nor out to the open sea": tamamo is fine seaweed, with tama a word of praise; it shows the seaweed drifting to neither sea nor shore.
Third line, "the jewel-weed floats": nami no ue ni, upon the waves, and lines one through three form a preface leading to midarete in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "tangled on the waves, and so": midarete nomi ya means "only in disarray," overlaying the seaweed tangled in the waves with a troubled heart. The particle ya is interrogative and forms a kakari-musubi with namu at the end.
Fifth line, "must I go on loving in turmoil": koiwatarinamu means "must I go on loving?" Like koiwataru kana in poem 482 of this book, it uses wataru for a love that goes on and on.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
Prev Poem: Hayaki se ni mirume oiseba waga sode no namida no kawa ni uemashi mono o
Next Poem: Ashigamo no sawagu irie no shiranami no shirazu ya hito o kaku koimu to wa