Ayu o itami Nago no uramini yosuru nami iya chie shiki ni koiwataru kamo

東風をいたみ奈呉の浦廻に寄する波
いや千重しきに恋ひわたるかも

Roma-ji: Ayu o itami Nago no uramini yosuru nami iya chie shiki ni koiwataru kamo
English Translation: The east wind blowing hard,
into the coves of Nago
the waves come rolling—
ever more, fold upon fold,
so I go on longing for you
Meaning: Like the waves the fierce east wind drives into the coves of Nago, folding one upon another, my longing for you goes on, ever deepening.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4213

Headnote: none; the left note reads, "The above poem was sent to the Tajihi household in the capital"
Sent to the Tajihi household in the capital, the poem says that, like waves driven by the strong east wind piling up fold on fold in the bay of Nago, the speaker's longing keeps growing, layer upon layer. Using a seascape of Etchū as an introduction, it expresses endless longing for someone in the distant capital.
"Ayu" is an Etchū dialect word for the east wind; an original note to 4017 in Book Seventeen says, "in the vernacular of Koshi the east wind is called ayu no kaze." Taking in local speech, the poem reflects the land of Etchū. The bay of Nago is thought to be around Hōjōzu Lagoon in present-day Imizu, Toyama Prefecture.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "ayu o itami" (the east wind blowing hard): "ayu" is the Etchū word for the east wind, and "o ... mi" expresses cause.
Second line, "Nago no uramini" (into the coves of Nago): "urami" is the curve of an inlet, setting the scene on the Etchū coast.
Third line, "yosuru nami" (the waves that roll in), ends the introductory phrase, which leads from waves piling up into "chie shiki ni" (fold on fold) in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "iya chie shiki ni" (ever more, fold on fold): "iya" means more and more, and the layering of waves is joined with the layering of longing.
Fifth line, "koiwataru kamo" (how I go on longing): "koiwataru" means to keep on loving, and "kamo" is exclamatory.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Otomera ga nochi no shirushi to tsuge ogushi oikawari oite nabikikerashi mo
Next Poem: Tōto ni mo kimi ga nageku to kikitsureba ne nomi shi nakayu aiomou ware wa