Omou ni wa shinoburu koto zo makenikeru iro ni wa ideji to omoishi mono o - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

思ふには忍ぶることぞ負けにける
色には出でじと思ひしものを

Roma-ji: Omou ni wa shinoburu koto zo makenikeru iro ni wa ideji to omoishi mono o
English Translation: To the force of love
my power to endure
has yielded at last
though I had resolved that never
would my feelings show
Meaning: My will to keep it hidden has lost to the force of my love, though I had resolved never to let it show.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 503

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet laments that though he tried to keep his love hidden, his will to endure lost to the strength of longing, and at last it showed. The conceit of pitting "loving" against "enduring" as a contest is delightful, and the chagrin and confusion of one who could not conceal love are expressed frankly.

First line, "To the force of love": omou ni wa means "against my loving," setting it opposite "enduring" in the second line as its rival.
Second line, "my power to endure": shinoburu koto zo means "enduring and concealing," and zo forms a kakari-musubi with keru in the third line.
Third line, "has yielded at last": makenikeru means "has been defeated," and the poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "though I had resolved that never": iro ni wa ideji to means "that I would not let it show in my face," with ji expressing negative intention. Poem 496 of this book sings of a heart that would let love show its color, contrasting with the resolve here not to show it.
Fifth line, "would my feelings show": mono wo is an adversative exclamatory particle, meaning "though I had thought." Omou in the first line and omoi in the last answer each other, wrapping the poem in the word for longing.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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