Yume to temo hito ni kataru na shiru to ieba tamakura naranu makura dani sezu - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夢とても人に語るな知るといへば
手枕ならぬ枕だにせず

Roma-ji: Yume to temo hito ni kataru na shiru to ieba tamakura naranu makura dani sezu
English Translation: Though it's but a dream,
do not tell it to anyone;
for pillows, they say,
know all—so I lay my head
upon no pillow but your arm
Meaning: Even if it is only a dream, never tell it to anyone. They say pillows know our secrets, so I will not even use a pillow—only your arm.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 1159

Headnote: "Lying together with a secret lover."
This is the first poem of a sequence likening lovers' meetings to dreams. Even if their meeting is only a dream, it must not be told to anyone; since pillows are said to know, she will use no pillow but her lover's arm. According to the headnote, it was composed while lying together with a secret lover.
The author, "Ise," was a daughter of Fujiwara no Tsugukage, Governor of Ise, and served Onshi, Empress to Emperor Uda. She is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.

The first line, "yume to temo," means "even if it be a dream." Taking up the dream that could not be seen in the preceding poem, she likens the present meeting itself to a dream and begins, "even if it is a dream."
The second line, "hito ni kataru na," means "do not tell anyone," the final particle "na" expressing prohibition. With a pause after the second line, it makes a firm demand for silence. "Kimi kataru na yo" in the next poem and "hito ni kataru na" in 1161 of this book use the same words of silence, so that the three poems are arranged in a single run.
The third line, "shiru to ieba," means "since they say it knows." It draws on the belief that the pillow knows the secrets of love.
The fourth line, "tamakura naranu," means "that is not an arm-pillow." "Tamakura" is using an arm as a pillow, here the arm of the lover lying beside her.
The last line, "makura dani sezu," means "I do not even use a pillow." Since she keeps away even the pillow that knows secrets and rests only on his arm, no one will learn of it unless he tells: with this reasoning she strengthens her demand for silence.
Author: Ise
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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