Minato izuru ama no obune no ikarinawa kurushiki mono to koi o shirinuru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

湊出づる海人の小舟の碇縄
くるしきものと恋を知りぬる

Roma-ji: Minato izuru ama no obune no ikarinawa kurushiki mono to koi o shirinuru
English Translation: Leaving the harbor,
the fishermen's little boat,
its anchor rope hauled,
painful thing, so I have learned,
this love is, as I now know.
Meaning: Like the anchor rope the fishermen haul in as their small boat leaves the harbor, I have learned that love is a painful thing.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 638

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that, like the anchor rope hauled in as the fishermen's small boat leaves the harbor, the poet has learned that love is painful. With the upper verse as a preface, it leads from "kuru," hauling in a heavy anchor rope, to "kurushi," painful, of the same sound, expressing the feeling of learning love's pain for the first time. In this book there are also love poems using boats on the water as prefaces, such as the raft of the next poem, 639, and the reed-cutting boat of 666.

First line, "minato izuru," means "leaving the harbor."
Second line, "ama no obune no," means "the fishermen's little boat," with "o" a prefix meaning small. It shares the word "ama" with the second line of 667, "ama to wa nashi ni."
Third line, "ikarinawa," means "the anchor rope," and up to here the lines form a preface leading to "kuru" in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "kurushiki mono to," is a pivot word: "kuru" means "hauling in" the anchor rope and begins "kurushiki," painful.
Final line, "koi o shirinuru," means "I have learned what love is," ending on "nuru," the attributive form of the perfective "nu," leaving a lingering tone.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Nagakaraji to omou kokoro wa mizu no awa ni yosouru hito no tanomarenu kana
Next Poem: Ōigawa kudasu ikada no minaresao minarenu hito mo koishikarikeri