Sayo fukete ima wa akenu to to o akete ki e yuku kimi o itsu to ka matamu

さ夜更けて今は明けぬと戸を開けて
紀へ行く君をいつとか待たむ

Roma-ji: Sayo fukete ima wa akenu to to o akete ki e yuku kimi o itsu to ka matamu
English Translation: The night has worn on—
saying, “Now the dawn has come,”
you open the door
and set out for Ki, my love:
when shall I wait for your return?
Meaning: Deep in the night, saying “Now it is dawn,” you open the door and leave for Kii—for what day am I to wait for your return?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Dialogue Poems 3321

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Envoy"
This poem follows the preceding envoy. Seeing off her husband, who opens the door at daybreak and sets out for Kii, she laments not knowing for what day to wait. It reaches back from the chōka’s (3318) theme of waiting for a husband gone to Kii to the morning of his departure. The closing line “itsu to ka matamu” is the same as in 3252 of this book, an ending shared by women’s poems of seeing someone off.
The poet is unknown. Book Thirteen is built mainly of anonymous chōka and their envoys, and many of its poems preserve the air of old songs and ritual verse.

In the first line, “sa” is a prefix, and the line means “the night grows late,” marking the hour as parting draws near.
The second line, “ima wa akenu to,” means “saying the dawn has now come,” the perfective “nu” announcing daybreak.
The third line, “to o akete,” means “opening the door,” vividly picturing the act of departure.
The fourth line, “ki e yuku kimi o,” means “you who go to Kii,” taking up the chōka’s “the land of Ki.”
The closing line, “itsu to ka matamu,” means “for when shall I wait,” with “mu” in the attributive in kakari-musubi with “ka.” It is the same closing line as 3252.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Tada ni yukazu koyu koseji kara iwase fumi motome zo waga koshi koite sube nami
Next Poem: Kado ni iru waga se wa uchi ni itaru tomo itaku shi koiba ima kaerikomu