Ikutabi ka Ikuta no ura ni tachikaeri nami ni waga mi o uchinurasuran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

幾度か生田の浦に立ち帰り
浪に我が身をうち濡らすらん

Roma-ji: Ikutabi ka Ikuta no ura ni tachikaeri nami ni waga mi o uchinurasuran
English Translation: How many times
to the shore of Ikuta
must I return,
only to let the waves
drench me through and through
Meaning: How many times must I go back to the shore of Ikuta, only to let the waves soak me through?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 532

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet wonders how many times he must go back to the shore of Ikuta, only to let the waves soak him. Like waves that come and go, it conveys the pain of a love that visits again and again and returns wet with tears.
Though the headnote reads "topic unknown," the next poem is headed "reply," and the two are placed together as a pair of exchanged poems.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."

The first line, "Ikutabi ka," means "how many times," with "ka" an interrogative particle.
The second line, "Ikuta no ura ni," means "to the shore of Ikuta in Settsu," a poetic place. It repeats the sound of "ikutabi" in the first line.
The third line, "tachikaeri," means "returning again and again, as waves come and go." It is the same word that opens the next poem.
The fourth line, "nami ni waga mi o," means "myself, in the waves," the waves suggesting tears.
The last line, "uchinurasuran," means "must I let them soak me?", closing with the attributive "ran" in answer to "ka" in the first line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Asashi chō koto o yuyushimi yama no i wa horishi nigori ni kage wa mienu zo
Next Poem: Tachikaeri nurete wa hinuru shio nareba Ikuta no ura no saga to koso mire