Shita ni nomi koureba kurushi tama no o no taete midaremu hito na togame so - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

下にのみ恋ふれば苦し玉の緒の
絶えて乱れむ人なとがめそ

Roma-ji: Shita ni nomi koureba kurushi tama no o no taete midaremu hito na togame so
English Translation: Loving only within,
hidden deep, is so painful;
like a string of beads
snapping and scattering,
if I break, let none reproach me
Meaning: To love only in secret is agony; if, like beads scattering when their string snaps, I break down in disarray, let no one blame me.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 667

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
Because a love kept only within is so painful, the poet asks that no one blame him if he loses control, like beads scattering when their string snaps. The limit of a heart that has endured a hidden love until it can bear no more is expressed through the figure of the string of beads.
The author, recorded as Tomonori, is Ki no Tomonori. He was a son of Ki no Aritomo and an elder cousin of Ki no Tsurayuki. He was one of the compilers of the Kokinshu and is counted among the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals.
Tomonori, who vowed "I will not show its color" in poem 661, here sings of the pain of being unable to endure, and in the next poem says his love will surely show. The arrangement marks a turning point, as hidden love reaches its limit and the book moves to poems of love becoming known.

The first line, "shita ni nomi," means "only within the heart," with nomi limiting.
The second line, "koureba kurushi," means "loving is painful," with a pause after the second line.
The third line, "tama no o no," refers to the cord threading beads, leading into "snap" and "scatter."
The fourth line, "taete midaremu," overlays the cord snapping and the beads scattering with a heart that breaks down. "Cord," "snap," and "scatter" are associated words.
The final line, "hito na togame so," means "let no one blame me," a prohibition in the na ... so form.
Author: Ki no Tomonori
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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Next Poem: Waga koi o shinobikanete wa ashihiki no yamatachibana no iro ni idenubeshi