忘れなむと思ふ心のつくからに
ありしよりけにまづぞ恋しき
ありしよりけにまづぞ恋しき
- Roma-ji
-
Wasurenamu to omou kokoro no tsuku kara ni arishi yori ke ni mazu zo koishiki
- English Translation
-
The moment the thought
"I will forget" takes hold
within my heart,
more than ever before
comes the longing, first of all.
- Meaning
- The moment I resolve to forget you, I find myself longing for you first of all, more than ever before.
- Commentary
-
Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 718
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poem sings of a paradox of the loving heart: the moment one resolves to forget, the longing grows stronger than before. The struggle between the will to forget and the love that resists it is expressed with frankness.
Taking up the "keepsake" of the preceding poem, it forms a pair with the next poem, 719, sharing the phrase "wasurenamu." Where this poem sings of a heart that tries but cannot forget, the next calls out not to be resented for trying to forget.
The first line, "wasurenamu to," means "that I will forget," the intensive "na" joined to the volitional "mu"; it has six syllables, one more than usual.
The second line, "omou kokoro no," means "the heart that thinks so."
The third line, "tsuku kara ni," means "as soon as it arises," "kara ni" being a particle meaning "no sooner than."
The fourth line, "arishi yori ke ni," means "more than before," "ke ni" being an adverb meaning "all the more."
The final line, "mazu zo koishiki," means "first of all comes longing," with the particle "zo" closed by the attributive "koishiki" in a kakari-musubi.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Akade koso omowamu naka wa hanarename so o dani nochi no wasuregatami ni
- Next Poem
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Wasurenamu ware o uramu na hototogisu hito no aki ni wa awamu to mo sezu