Tagitsu se no hayaki kokoro o nani shi ka mo hitome tsutsumi no seki todomuramu - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

たぎつ瀬の早き心を何しかも
人目つつみのせきとどむらむ

Roma-ji: Tagitsu se no hayaki kokoro o nani shi ka mo hitome tsutsumi no seki todomuramu
English Translation: This heart of mine, swift
as a rushing torrent’s shoals,
why is it, I wonder,
that the embankment of others’ eyes
dams it and holds it back
Meaning: Why is it that the embankment of others' eyes dams up my heart, which races like a rushing torrent?
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 660

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet asks why wariness of others' eyes dams up, like an embankment, a love that races like a torrent. Using the same "embankment of others' eyes" as the preceding poem, it expresses the struggle between passionate love and concern for appearances through the figure of flowing water and a dam.
The author is recorded as anonymous, and the name has not come down to us.

The first line, "tagitsu se no," means "of rushing rapids," leading into "swift."
The second line, "hayaki kokoro o," overlays the speed of the current with an impatient heart.
The third line, "nani shi ka mo," means "why," strengthened by the emphatic shi and ka mo, answering ramu in the last line.
The fourth line, "hitome tsutsumi no," uses tsutsumi as a pivot word for "embankment" and "restraint," the same phrase as the second line of the preceding poem.
The final line, "seki todomuramu," means "why does it dam it up," closing with ramu, conjecturing the cause. "Rapids," "embankment," and "dam" are associated words.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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