Minatomi ni michikuru shio no iyamashi ni koi wa masaredo wasuraenu kamo

港廻に満ち来る潮のいや増しに
恋はまされど忘らえぬかも

Roma-ji: Minatomi ni michikuru shio no iyamashi ni koi wa masaredo wasuraenu kamo
English Translation: Like the rising tide
that fills the harbor round,
ever more and more
my longing grows, and yet
I can never once forget
Meaning: Like the tide rising around the harbor, my longing grows ever greater, and yet I cannot forget.
Commentary: Book Twelve Thoughts Arising on Journeys 3159

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Thoughts Arising on Journeys"
Like the tide rising in the harbor, longing grows ever greater, and still the poet cannot forget. The image of the rising tide expresses the pain of a love that mounts without ceasing.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.

Line one, "minatomi ni," means "around the harbor."
Line two, "michikuru shio no," means "like the rising tide," and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "iyamashi ni."
Line three, "iyamashi ni," means "ever more," the same word as in poem 2872 in this book.
Line four, "koi wa masaredo," means "though my longing grows."
Line five, "wasuraenu kamo," means "I cannot forget," a love that cannot be forgotten however painful.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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