Kanete yori kaze ni sakidatsu nami nare ya au koto naki ni madaki tatsuramu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

かねてより風に先立つ波なれや
逢ふことなきにまだきたつらむ

Roma-ji: Kanete yori kaze ni sakidatsu nami nare ya au koto naki ni madaki tatsuramu
English Translation: Is it a wave that rises
even before the wind
has started to blow,
that though we have not yet met
rumors rise so soon
Meaning: Is it like a wave that rises before the wind has even blown, that, though we have not yet met, rumors of us rise so soon?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 627

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet laments that rumors have risen before any meeting has taken place, likening them to waves that rise before the wind blows. With tatsu meaning both "a wave rises" and "a rumor rises," it expresses the unfairness of gossip that runs ahead of the facts.
The author is recorded as anonymous, and the name has not come down to us.
Continuing to liken love to waves as in the preceding poem, it also marks the shift to a group of poems lamenting groundless rumors.

The first line, "kanete yori," means "beforehand, from before."
The second line, "kaze ni sakidatsu," means "rising ahead of the wind," a figure for an effect that appears before its cause.
The third line, "nami nare ya," asks "is it because it is a wave?" with the particle ya, making a pause after the third line.
The fourth line, "au koto naki ni," means "although there has been no meeting," marking a contrast.
The final line, "madaki tatsuramu," uses tatsu as a pivot word for a wave rising and a rumor rising, and closes by conjecturing the cause: "why do they rise so soon?"
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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