Hito wa isa ware wa nakina no oshikereba mukashi mo ima mo shirazu to o iwamu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

人はいさ我はなき名の惜しければ
昔も今も知らずとを言はむ

Roma-ji: Hito wa isa ware wa nakina no oshikereba mukashi mo ima mo shirazu to o iwamu
English Translation: As for you, who knows?
But I, grudging a groundless name,
since it pains me so,
shall say that I never knew you,
neither long ago nor now
Meaning: I cannot say how you feel, but I grudge having my name stained by baseless rumor, so I shall say I never knew you, not in the past and not now.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 630

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
Whatever the other feels, the poet grudges a baseless rumor and so resolves to insist that there never was, nor is, any tie between them. In the very attempt to deny the relationship to avoid gossip, a longing that cannot be cut off seeps through.
The author, recorded as Motokata, is Ariwara no Motokata. He was a son of Ariwara no Muneyana and a grandson of Ariwara no Narihira.

The first line, "hito wa isa," means "as for the other, who can say," the adverb isa implying an omitted "I do not know" and showing the beloved's heart is unknown.
The second line, "ware wa nakina no," pairs with "as for the other" and turns to the speaker's own side.
The third line, "oshikereba," means "since it is regrettable," giving the reason: he grudges a name tarnished by rumor.
The fourth line, "mukashi mo ima mo," means "both before and now," a way of denying the relationship entirely.
The final line, "shirazu to o iwamu," means "I shall say I do not know," strengthened with the interjectory o and closed with the volitional mu.
Author: Ariwara no Motokata
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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