Hitogoto wa makoto kochitaku narinu tomo soko ni sawaramu ware ni aranaku ni

人言はまこと言痛くなりぬとも
そこに障らむ我れにあらなくに

Roma-ji: Hitogoto wa makoto kochitaku narinu tomo soko ni sawaramu ware ni aranaku ni
English Translation: Though people's talk
should truly grow too loud
and press around us,
I am not the kind to be
stopped by such as that
Meaning: Even if people's gossip grows truly unbearable, I am not one to be held back by it.
Commentary: Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2886

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet declares that no matter how loud the gossip grows, it will not stand in the way. Among the many poems that fear gossip, this one stands out for its firm refusal to give in to it.
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, "hitogoto wa," means "people's gossip."
Line two, "makoto kochitaku": "kochitashi" means that talk is noisy and troublesome.
Line three, "narinu tomo," means "even if it should become so."
Line four, "soko ni sawaramu," means "such as to be hindered by it."
Line five, "ware ni aranaku ni," means "I am not such a one," expressing a firm will not to give in to gossip.
Author: Unknown
Source: Manyoshu
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