Poem Meaning and Background
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かぜをいたみ・いはうつなみの・おのれのみ
kaze o itami・iwa utsu nami no・onore nomi
kaze o itami・iwa utsu nami no・onore nomi
くだけてものを・おもふころかな
kudakete mono o・omou koro kana
〜源 重之 (Minamoto no Shigeyuki)
Translation
Like a driven wave,
Dashed by fierce winds on a rock,
So am I: alone
And crushed upon the shore,
Remembering what has been.
Meaning
This is another poem which takes natural imagery and layers it against the author's own sentiments to draw out the power of those emotions. The author of this poem is in love, but the woman he loves treats him coldly. He compares her to a stone, and her steadfast indifference does not yield to the author's feelings. The author compares his love to the waves, which are driven powerfully by the wind and which crash against the rock, futilely. In the end, it is not the rock which is worn down, but instead the waves that end up dashed apart. The vivid imagery brings out both the strength of the author's love, but also his hopelessness; since the woman he loves is unswayed, he is left broken hearted in the end.
In the first line, 風をいたみ (kaze wo itami) means "because the winds are fierce". The grammar structure here of **を〜み has the same meaning as **が〜ので (because ** is 〜). In this same line, いたし (itashi) means はなはだしい(hanahadashii), which means "extreme, intense" and gives the sense that the severity of the wind is at the highest possible degree. おのれのみ (onore nomi) means "only myself", which means the second verse only applies to the author and not the woman he loves.
The word くだけて(kudakete) in the beginning of the second verse carries a double meaning. Typically, it means to break apart, or crumble. In this case, it is not the rock but the waves which crash against it which end up broken apart. The second meaning of this word is "to worry", so it also refers to the author's love troubles. The entire second verse of this poem, くだけて物を・思ふころかな（kudakete mono o・omou koro kana） seems to have been a popular way to finish off tanka, since it can be seen in many poems from this time period.
In the first line, 風をいたみ (kaze wo itami) means "because the winds are fierce". The grammar structure here of **を〜み has the same meaning as **が〜ので (because ** is 〜). In this same line, いたし (itashi) means はなはだしい(hanahadashii), which means "extreme, intense" and gives the sense that the severity of the wind is at the highest possible degree. おのれのみ (onore nomi) means "only myself", which means the second verse only applies to the author and not the woman he loves.
The word くだけて(kudakete) in the beginning of the second verse carries a double meaning. Typically, it means to break apart, or crumble. In this case, it is not the rock but the waves which crash against it which end up broken apart. The second meaning of this word is "to worry", so it also refers to the author's love troubles. The entire second verse of this poem, くだけて物を・思ふころかな（kudakete mono o・omou koro kana） seems to have been a popular way to finish off tanka, since it can be seen in many poems from this time period.
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