Iebito wa kaeri hayako to Iwaishima iwai matsuramu tabi yuku ware o

家人は帰り早来と伊波比島
斎ひ待つらむ旅行く我れを

Roma-ji: Iebito wa kaeri hayako to Iwaishima iwai matsuramu tabi yuku ware o
English Translation: At home my people,
come back to us soon, they say,
like Iwai Isle,
must be praying as they wait
for me upon my journey
Meaning: My people at home must be waiting, keeping themselves pure in prayer like the name of Iwai Isle, saying "come back to us soon" to me on my journey.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Poems of the Envoys to Silla 3636

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Eight poems composed when passing Marifu Bay in Kuga District, Suō Province"
From the name Iwaishima he draws out "iwai" (pure prayer), imagining that his people at home must be waiting and praying for his safe return. It was believed that a traveler's safety was guarded by the "iwai" of those left at home, recalling 3587 of this book, in which his wife sang before departure, "I shall wait, keeping pure in prayer." Iwaishima is thought to be present-day Iwaishima in Kaminoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The next poem also sings of Iwaishima, and the two form a pair.
According to the headnote, this is one of eight poems composed when passing Marifu Bay in Kuga District, Suō Province, thought to be the coast of present-day Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The author is not named.

First line, "iebito wa": "iebito" are one's family, those at home.
Second line, "kaeri hayako to": "ko" is the imperative of "ku" (come), quoting the family's words: come back soon.
Third line, "Iwaishima": Iwai Isle in Suō Province, thought to be present-day Iwaishima. Its name has the same sound as "iwai" in the fourth line, leading into it as a pivot word.
Fourth line, "iwai matsuramu": "iwau" is to purify oneself and pray for safety, and "ramu" conjectures a present matter out of sight: they must be waiting in prayer.
Fifth line, "tabi yuku ware o": inverted with the fourth line, it shows at the end that the one awaited is himself, on his journey.
Source: Manyoshu
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