Yuku mizu ni kazu kaku yori mo hakanaki wa omowanu hito o omou narikeri - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

行く水に数書くよりもはかなきは
思はぬ人を思ふなりけり

Roma-ji: Yuku mizu ni kazu kaku yori mo hakanaki wa omowanu hito o omou narikeri
English Translation: More vain than writing
numbers on the flowing stream
more futile than that
is to love someone
who does not love me
Meaning: More futile even than writing numbers on flowing water is to love someone who does not love me back.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 522

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poem sings that more futile even than writing numbers on flowing water, which leaves no trace, is to love someone who does not return one's love. "Writing numbers on water" was long used as a figure for futility, and the Man'yoshu has a poem that sings, "My life, like numbers written on the water." The emptiness of one-sided love is likened to the very height of futility.

First line, "More vain than writing": yuku mizu ni means on the flowing water.
Second line, "numbers on the flowing stream": kazu kaku yori mo means "than writing numbers"; numbers written on water vanish at once, so it serves as a figure for futility.
Third line, "more futile than that": hakanaki wa means "what is futile is," and the fourth and fifth lines give the answer.
Fourth line, "is to love someone": omowanu hito wo means someone who does not love me.
Fifth line, "who does not love me": omou narikeri means "it is loving," with keri expressing realization. Setting omowanu in the fourth line against omou in the last sharpens the futility of one-sided love.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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