Ima wa tote tachikaeriyuku furusato no Fuwa no sekiji ni miyako wasuru na - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

今はとて立ち帰り行くふるさとの
不破の関路に都忘るな

Roma-ji: Ima wa tote tachikaeriyuku furusato no Fuwa no sekiji ni miyako wasuru na
English Translation: Saying "it is time,"
you go back to your homeland—
upon the road through
Fuwa Barrier, do not
forget the capital
Meaning: Saying that the time has come, you return to your old home—on the road through Fuwa Barrier, do not forget the capital.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Parting Poems 1313

Headnote: "When a woman who had long served in the same household went to the province of Mino to visit her parents."
The poet tells her not to forget the capital on the road through Fuwa Barrier as she returns home, saying it is time. As a woman who long served in the same house goes home to see her parents in Mino, he wistfully asks her not to settle down there and forget the capital.
According to the headnote, a woman who had long served in the same household went down to Mino to visit her parents, and he composed this.
The poet, "Fujiwara no Kiyotada," seems to be Fujiwara no Kiyotada. A son of Fujiwara no Kanesuke, he is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.

The first line, "Ima wa tote," means "saying it is time now."
The second line, "tachikaeriyuku," means "going back."
The third line, "furusato no," means "of your homeland," referring to Mino where her parents live.
The fourth line, "Fuwa no sekiji ni," means "on the road through Fuwa Barrier," the barrier on the border of Mino and Ōmi.
The last line, "miyako wasuru na," means "do not forget the capital," with "na" a prohibition.
Author: Fujiwara no Kiyotada
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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