Isasame ni toki matsu ma ni zo hi wa henuru kokorobase oba hito ni mietsutsu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いささめに時まつまにぞひはへぬる
心ばせをば人に見えつつ

Roma-ji: Isasame ni toki matsu ma ni zo hi wa henuru kokorobase oba hito ni mietsutsu
English Translation: Just for a little,
while I waited for the time,
the days have gone by,
all the while my heart's intent
lay open for all to see.
Meaning: Meaning to wait only a little while for the right moment, I have let the days slip by—all the while showing my heart openly to others.
Commentary: Book Ten Names of Things 454

Headnote: "Bamboo grass, pine, loquat, banana leaf"
This poem says that while waiting just a little for the right moment, the days have passed, all the while showing one's heart to others. It hides four titles in order: "sasa" (bamboo grass) in "isasame" in the first line, "matsu" (pine) in "matsu" (wait) in the second, "biwa" (loquat) in "hi wa" in the third, and "bashōba" (banana leaf) in "kokorobase oba" in the fourth. While displaying the skill of fitting many titles into a single poem, it conveys the unease of time slipping by in waiting.
The poet, "Ki no Menoto," is Ki no Menoto. She is said to have been a woman of the Ki clan who served as wet nurse to Emperor Yōzei.

First line "Isasame ni" means "just briefly, for a little while," and the title "sasa" (bamboo grass) is hidden in it.
Second line "toki matsu ma ni zo" means "while waiting for the moment," and "matsu" hides the title "matsu" (pine). The particle "zo" reaches to the ending of the third line.
Third line "hi wa henuru" means "the days have passed." "Hi wa" hides the title "biwa" (loquat), and it closes in the attributive "nuru" in answer to "zo." The poem pauses here.
Fourth line "kokorobase oba" means "the workings of my heart," and "base oba" hides the title "bashōba" (banana leaf).
Fifth line "hito ni mietsutsu" means "while showing it to others," and "tsutsu" leaves a lingering close.
Author: Ki no Menoto
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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