忍ぶれば苦しきものを人知れず
思ふてふこと誰に語らむ
思ふてふこと誰に語らむ
- Roma-ji
-
Shinobureba kurushiki mono o hito shirezu omou chō koto tare ni kataramu
- English Translation
-
Though it is painful
to keep it hidden so
that unbeknown to all
I love you so, to whom
could I ever tell it
- Meaning
- Though it is painful to keep it hidden, to whom could I ever tell that I love you in secret?
- Commentary
-
Book Eleven Love Poems I 519
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet laments that though he can hardly bear the pain of concealing his love, there is no one to confide in. The pain of endurance and the loneliness of having no one to tell are doubled, expressing the closed-off heart of a hidden love.
First line, "Though it is painful": shinobureba means "when I endure and conceal."
Second line, "to keep it hidden so": kurushiki mono wo means "though it is painful," with mono wo adversative. Like "loving unbeknown is hard to bear" in poem 496 of this book, it sings of the pain of hidden love.
Third line, "that unbeknown to all": hito shirezu means without others knowing.
Fourth line, "I love you so, to whom": chou is a contraction of to iu, meaning "the fact that I love."
Fifth line, "could I ever tell it": tare ni kataramu means "to whom shall I tell it?", expressing the loneliness of having no one to speak to.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Hito no mi mo narawashi mono o awazu shite iza kokoromimu koi ya shinuru to
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-
Komu yo ni mo haya narinanamu me no mae ni tsurenaki hito o mukashi to omowamu