Fuchise to mo kokoro mo shirazu namidagawa ori ya tatsu beki sode no nururu ni - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

淵瀬とも心も知らず涙川
下りや立つべき袖の濡るるに

Roma-ji: Fuchise to mo kokoro mo shirazu namidagawa ori ya tatsu beki sode no nururu ni
English Translation: Whether deep or shallow,
I cannot tell your heart,
this River of Tears—
should I then wade into it,
with my sleeves already wet
Meaning: I cannot tell whether this River of Tears runs deep or shallow, nor what lies in your heart—should I wade into it, when my sleeves would only be soaked?
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 611

Headnote: "Reply."
The poet asks whether she should wade into a River of Tears when she knows neither its depths and shallows nor the depth of his heart, for her sleeves would only be soaked. Taking up the River of Tears of the preceding poem, she lightly parries him, saying she cannot throw herself into love without knowing how deep his feelings run.
It is a reply to the preceding poem, 610, and in the next poem, 612, the first poet answers again. Book Nine's 526 also opens with "fuchise to mo," using the same phrase to question the depth of another's heart.
The poet, Taifu, was a lady-in-waiting of the Gosenshū period, said to be a daughter of Minamoto no Tasuku. She is known for exchanging poems with many young noblemen.

The first line, "Fuchise to mo," means "whether deep pools or shallows," a figure for the depth of the other's heart.
The second line, "kokoro mo shirazu," means "not knowing your heart either."
The third line, "namidagawa," likens flowing tears to a river, taking up the third line of the preceding poem.
The fourth line, "ori ya tatsu beki," means "should I wade in?" with "ya" an interrogative particle closing with the attributive "beki," a kakarimusubi pattern. It answers "oritachite koso" in the fourth line of the preceding poem, and the poem pauses here.
The last line, "sode no nururu ni," means "when my sleeves would only be wet," inverted with the fourth line.
Author: Taifu
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Wabibito no sohotsu chō naru namidagawa oritachite koso nurewatarikere
Next Poem: Kokoromi ni nao oritatamu namidagawa ureshiki se ni mo nagare au ya to