Miru toki wa koto zo to mo naku minu toki wa koto arigao ni koishiki ya nazo - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

見る時はことぞともなく見ぬ時は
こと有り顔に恋しきやなぞ

Roma-ji: Miru toki wa koto zo to mo naku minu toki wa koto arigao ni koishiki ya nazo
English Translation: When I see you,
nothing seems to matter much;
when I do not,
as if there were something wrong,
why do I long for you so
Meaning: When we are together, it seems like nothing much; when we are apart, I long for you as if something were the matter—why is that?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 588

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet asks why, when they are together, it seems like nothing much, yet when they are apart he longs for her as if something were the matter. He questions himself about the strange way longing mounts precisely when one cannot meet.
Like 583 in this book, it sings of the unreasonable workings of a heart in love.
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, "Miru toki wa," means "when we are together."
The second line, "koto zo to mo naku," means "as if it were nothing much."
The third line, "minu toki wa," means "when we are apart," paired with the first line.
The fourth line, "koto arigao ni," means "as though something were the matter," paired with "koto zo to mo naku" in the second line.
The last line, "koishiki ya nazo," means "why is it that I long for you?"
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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