Kore wa kaku uramidokoro mo naki mono o ushirometaku wa omowazaranan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

これはかくうらみ所もなきものを
うしろめたくは思はざらなん

Roma-ji: Kore wa kaku uramidokoro mo naki mono o ushirometaku wa omowazaranan
English Translation: This letter, you see,
has nothing to resent,
no back to look upon—
so please, I beg of you,
do not be troubled by it
Meaning: As you can see, this letter holds nothing to resent, nothing hidden on its back—so please do not be uneasy about it.
Commentary: Book Ten Love Poems II 667

Headnote: "His wife asked to see a letter from another woman, but he would not show it, and she resented him, so he wrote this on the back of that letter and sent it."
The poet says the letter holds nothing to resent, and asks her not to feel uneasy. A man resented by his wife for not showing her a letter from another woman excuses himself, saying there is nothing to hide.
According to the headnote, his wife wanted to see a letter from another woman, but he did not show it, and she resented him, so he wrote this on the back of the letter and sent it. Since he wrote on the back, "urami" is made to carry "ura-mi," looking at the back.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Kore wa kaku," means "this letter, as you see."
In the second line, "urami" is a pivot word joining "urami," resentment, and "urami," looking at the back of the letter.
The third line, "naki mono o," means "though there is nothing," and the poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "ushirometaku wa," means "uneasy."
The last line, "omowazaranan," means "I wish you would not feel," with "nan" a particle expressing a wish directed at another.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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