Kado ni iru waga se wa uchi ni itaru tomo itaku shi koiba ima kaerikomu

門に居る我が背は宇智に至るとも
いたくし恋ひば今帰り来む

Roma-ji: Kado ni iru waga se wa uchi ni itaru tomo itaku shi koiba ima kaerikomu
English Translation: My husband standing
at the gate—though he should go
as far as Uchi,
if I long for him with all my heart,
soon he will come back to me
Meaning: My husband standing at the gate—even if he gets as far as Uchi, if I long for him hard enough, he will soon come back.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Dialogue Poems 3322

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Envoy"
This poem follows the preceding envoy and closes the five poems noted above. Even if her husband standing at the gate should get as far as Uchi, she says, he will come straight back if she longs for him intensely. It rests on the belief that a strong yearning can draw the beloved back, and like the chōka (3318), which consults the evening oracle, the sequence is pervaded by divination and magic. In contrast to the anxious waiting of the preceding poem, it ends on a bright note of confidence.
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.

The first line, “kado ni iru,” means “standing at the gate,” picturing her husband on the verge of departure.
In the second line, “Uchi” is a place around present-day Gojō, Nara, on the route from Yamato to Kii.
The third line, “itaru tomo,” means “even if he arrives there,” a concessive supposition.
In the fourth line, “itaku” means intensely, and repeating the sound “i” of “Uchi” and “itaru” sets the rhythm.
In the closing line, “ima” means “soon,” and the conjectural “mu” ends the poem in confidence that he will promptly return.
Source: Manyoshu
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