Itodoshiku sugiyuku kata no koishiki ni urayamashiku mo kaeru nami kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いとどしく過ぎゆく方の恋しきに
うらやましくも帰る波かな

Roma-ji: Itodoshiku sugiyuku kata no koishiki ni urayamashiku mo kaeru nami kana
English Translation: All the more I long
for the way that I have come,
the land left behind—
how I envy you, the waves
that turn and go back home
Meaning: All the more do I long for the land I have left behind, and how I envy the waves that turn and go back again.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Parting Poems 1352

Headnote: "On his way to the East, when he was longing for the places he had passed, he saw the waves rise as he crossed a river."
The poet says that as he longs ever more for the way he has come, he envies the waves that return. On the road to the East, longing for the capital behind him, he sees waves that come and go and envies them, comparing them with himself who cannot go back.
According to the headnote, on his way to the East, as he was longing for the places he had passed, he crossed a river and saw the waves rise. The poem also appears in episode 7 of the Tales of Ise, as a poem from the journey east. From here the book turns to poems composed on the road.
The poet, "Lord Narihira," is Ariwara no Narihira. A son of Prince Abo, himself a son of Emperor Heizei, he is counted among the Six Poetic Immortals and the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals. He is taken to be the hero of the Tales of Ise, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Chihayaburu kamiyo mo kikazu Tatsutagawa."

The first line, "Itodoshiku," means "all the more."
The second line, "sugiyuku kata no," means "of the way I have passed," the capital left behind.
The third line, "koishiki ni," means "while I long for it."
The fourth line, "urayamashiku mo," means "enviably," with "ura" echoing "ura," a bay, linked with "waves."
The last line, "kaeru nami kana," means "the waves that go back," with "kana" exclamatory, contrasting the returning waves with the poet who cannot return.
Author: Ariwara no Narihira
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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