Ika ni sen kuzu no ura fuku akikaze ni shitaba no tsuyu no kakure naki mi o - Shin Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかにせん葛の裏吹く秋風に
下葉の露の隠れなき身を

Roma-ji: Ika ni sen kuzu no ura fuku akikaze ni shitaba no tsuyu no kakure naki mi o
English Translation: What am I to do?
in the autumn wind that blows
the arrowroot leaves,
like dew on the lower leaves
I am laid bare, nowhere to hide
Meaning: What am I to do? Like the dew on the lower leaves of arrowroot, laid bare when the autumn wind turns them over, I can no longer hide from the world's eyes.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 1166

Headnote: "Sent to someone she heard had been showing her letters about, a secret love she had kept from all."
This is the second poem of the sequence fearing that a lovers' meeting will become known. As the autumn wind turns over the arrowroot leaves and lays bare the dew on the lower leaves, she has been laid bare to the world and does not know what to do. According to the headnote, it was sent to the lover she heard had been spreading word of their secret love by showing her letters to others.
The author, "Sagami," was a lady-in-waiting called by this name because she married Ōe no Kinsuke, Governor of Sagami. She later served Princess Shūshi, a daughter of Emperor Ichijō.

The first line, "ika ni sen," means "what am I to do," with a pause after the first line. The lament of helplessness is placed at the start, and its object is revealed only by "mi o," "this self," in the last line, an inverted structure.
The second line, "kuzu no ura fuku," means "blowing the undersides of the arrowroot leaves." Because arrowroot leaves show their white undersides when blown by the wind, the image shows something hidden being laid bare.
The third line, "akikaze ni," is the wind that turns the leaves over, likened to the gossip that scatters secrets.
The fourth line, "shitaba no tsuyu no," means "of the dew on the lower leaves." The dew on lower leaves, unseen by others, is overlaid with tears shed in secret and with a hidden love. From the upper verse to here, the image of dew laid bare leads into the last line.
The last line, "kakure naki mi o," means "this self with nowhere to hide." Where the preceding poem begged for silence with "do not tell anyone," this poem laments after the secret is already known, moving on to the moment when the plea for silence has failed.
Author: Sagami
Source: Shin Kokin Wakashu
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