Hito kouru kokoro bakari wa sore nagara ware wa ware ni mo aranu narikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

人恋ふる心ばかりはそれながら
我は我にもあらぬなりけり

Roma-ji: Hito kouru kokoro bakari wa sore nagara ware wa ware ni mo aranu narikeri
English Translation: The heart that longs for you
alone remains as it was,
yet I, it seems,
am no longer even
the self I used to be
Meaning: Only my heart that longs for you remains as it was; I myself, I find, am no longer who I am.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 514

Headnote: "Sent to a woman."
The poet says that only his heart that longs for her remains as it was, while he himself is no longer who he is. It conveys the dazed state of one so taken by love that he no longer feels himself.
According to the headnote, the poem was sent to a woman. It frankly appeals with a love strong enough to make him lose himself.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Hito kouru," means "longing for someone." 546 in this book also opens with "hito kouru."
In the second line, "bakari" is restrictive: "only the heart."
The third line, "sore nagara," means "remaining just as it was."
The fourth line, "ware wa ware ni mo," means "I, even as myself," repeating "ware" to stress how he has lost himself.
The last line, "aranu narikeri," means "I am not, I now see," with "narikeri" expressing realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Aki no ta no ine chō koto o kakeshikaba omoiizuru ga ureshige mo nashi
Next Poem: Omoigawa taezu nagaruru mizu no awa no utakata hito ni awade kieme ya