Kimi kou to nurenishi sode no kawakanu wa omoi no hoka ni areba narikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

君恋ふと濡れにし袖の乾かぬは
おもひの外にあればなりけり

Roma-ji: Kimi kou to nurenishi sode no kawakanu wa omoi no hoka ni areba narikeri
English Translation: My sleeves, wet with tears
because I long for you,
never dry, for the fire
of my longing burns, it seems,
somewhere outside of me
Meaning: My sleeves, soaked with longing for you, never dry—because the fire of my love, against all expectation, burns somewhere outside them.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 562

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says that his sleeves, soaked with longing for her, never dry because the fire of his love is outside them. Pivoting "omoi no hoka," beyond expectation, on "hi," fire, he wittily says that the fire that should dry them lies outside, expressing tears of love that never dry.
519 in this book also sings of sleeves wet with tears that never have a time to dry.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."

The first line, "Kimi kou to," means "for longing for you."
The second line, "nurenishi sode no," means "the sleeves that have grown wet with tears."
The third line, "kawakanu wa," means "that they do not dry," answering "kawaku tamoto no" in the fourth line of 519 in this book.
In the fourth line, "omoi" is a pivot word meaning both "love" and "fire," overlaying "beyond all expectation" with "because the fire is outside."
The last line, "areba narikeri," means "it was because it is so," with "narikeri" expressing realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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