Itsu wa na mo koizu ari to wa aranedomo utate konogoro koishi shigeshi mo

いつはなも恋ひずありとはあらねども
うたてこのころ恋し繁しも

Roma-ji: Itsu wa na mo koizu ari to wa aranedomo utate konogoro koishi shigeshi mo
English Translation: There was never a time
when I was free from longing,
and yet
these days, strangely, love
grows thicker than before
Meaning: There has never been a time when I did not long for you, yet these days, strangely, the longing grows thicker than ever.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2877

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet acknowledges having always been in love, yet these days the longing has grown almost unnaturally strong. By comparing everyday love with the intense love of recent days, the poem depicts the rising of feeling.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.

Line one, "itsu wa na mo," means "at any time," with "na mo" thought to add emphasis.
Line two, "koizu ari to wa," means "that I was not longing."
Line three, "aranedomo," means "it is not so, but," admitting the poet has always been in love.
Line four, "utate konogoro": "utate" means "increasingly, strangely."
Line five, "koishi shigeshi mo," means "how thick the longing grows," with "mo" exclamatory.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Sato chikaku ie ya orubeki kono waga me no hitome o shitsutsu koi no shigekeku
Next Poem: Nubatama no inete shi yoi no monomoi ni sakenishi mune wa yamu toki mo nashi