Kurenai ni someshi kokoro mo tanomarezu hito o aku ni wa utsuru chō nari - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

紅に染めし心も頼まれず
人をあくにはうつるてふなり

Roma-ji: Kurenai ni someshi kokoro mo tanomarezu hito o aku ni wa utsuru chō nari
English Translation: Even a heart dyed
deep in crimson cannot be
something to rely on,
for they say, when steeped in lye,
tired of love, the color fades
Meaning: Not even a heart dyed deep crimson can be trusted, for they say that just as crimson fades in lye, a heart that tires of someone changes.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Forms 1044

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Since crimson dye changes color in lye, the poet puns on "aku," lye and to tire of, and "utsuru," to fade and to change affection, lamenting that even deep love shifts once weariness sets in. Turning knowledge of dyeing into a comment on love is the wit that makes this a haikai poem.
The author is unknown and is recorded as "Anonymous."

First line, "Kurenai ni," names the deep red of safflower dye, a figure for deep love.
Second line, "someshi kokoro mo," means even a heart dyed so deep.
Third line, "tanomarezu," uses potential "re" in the negative: cannot be relied on. The poem breaks here.
Fourth line, "hito o aku ni wa," is a pivot word joining "aku," to tire of, and "aku," the lye that alters dyed cloth.
Fifth line, "utsuru chō nari," pivots "utsuru" between a color fading and a heart changing, with "chō" and "nari" marking hearsay. Crimson, dyeing, lye, and fading are associated words.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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