Ukikusa no ue wa shigereru fuchi nare ya fukaki kokoro o shiru hito no naki - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

浮草の上は茂れる淵なれや
深き心を知る人のなき

Roma-ji: Ukikusa no ue wa shigereru fuchi nare ya fukaki kokoro o shiru hito no naki
English Translation: Am I a deep pool
whose surface is overgrown
with floating weeds
that no one ever knows
the depths within my heart
Meaning: Is my heart a deep pool with floating weeds grown thick upon its surface, that no one knows how deep it is?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 538

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poem likens the poet's deep love, which cannot be guessed from the surface, to a pool covered with floating weeds so that its depth cannot be seen. Just as the weeds on the surface hide the depth below, the poet laments that the depth of his heart does not reach the beloved.

First line, "Am I a deep pool": ukikusa, floating weeds growing on the water's surface, figure what covers the surface of the heart.
Second line, "whose surface is overgrown": ue wa shigereru means thick on the surface.
Third line, "with floating weeds": fuchi nare ya means "is it because it is a deep pool?", with nare ya expressing a question. The poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "that no one ever knows": fukaki kokoro wo, a deep heart, overlays the depth of the pool with the depth of love. It is the same phrase as in poem 535 of this book, sharing the lament that a deep heart goes unknown.
Fifth line, "the depths within my heart": shiru hito no naki means there is no one who knows, ending in the attributive form to leave a lingering sigh.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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