Mono omou to iwanu bakari wa shinobu tomo ikaga wa subeki sode no shizuku o - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

もの思ふと言はぬばかりは忍ぶとも
いかがはすべき袖のしづくを

Roma-ji: Mono omou to iwanu bakari wa shinobu tomo ikaga wa subeki sode no shizuku o
English Translation: That I am lovesick
I may bear to leave unsaid,
yet what shall I do
with these drops upon my sleeve,
falling from my eyes?
Meaning: I may manage to keep from saying that I am lost in longing, but what am I to do about the teardrops falling on my sleeves?
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems II 1092

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
This is the second of two poems on the tears of a love that cannot be spoken. The speaker can keep from saying aloud that love weighs on the heart, but can do nothing about the tears that fall on the sleeves. The headnote gives no topic, and the circumstances of composition are not recorded.
The author, "Akinaka, Head of the Department of Divinities," is Minamoto no Akinaka. The son of Minister of the Right Minamoto no Akifusa, he served as head of the Department of Divinities and was active in the poetic circle of Emperor Horikawa.

The first line, "mono omou to," means "that I am lost in thought," that is, tormented by love.
The second line, "iwanu bakari wa," means "only the not saying it." Where poem 1090 in this book spoke of a heart that would be eased by speaking, "iwaba kokoro no yukubeki ni," this poem speaks from the side of one who endures in silence.
The third line, "shinobu tomo," means "even if I can endure and hide it," with "tomo" a concessive.
The fourth line, "ikaga wa subeki," means "what am I to do," ending in the attributive "beki" in answer to the interrogative "ikaga." Through inversion it runs on to "sode no shizuku o" in the last line.
The last line, "sode no shizuku o," means "the teardrops on my sleeves." Following the "tears" of the preceding poem, it shows that though the lips can be sealed the tears cannot be hidden, so a secret love comes to light through tears.
Author: Minamoto no Akinaka
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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