Iwanedomo waga kagiri naki kokoro o ba kumoi ni tōki hito mo shiranan - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

言はねども我が限りなき心をば
雲居に遠き人も知らなん

Roma-ji: Iwanedomo waga kagiri naki kokoro o ba kumoi ni tōki hito mo shiranan
English Translation: Though I do not speak,
this heart of mine that knows no end—
may the one so far,
distant as the clouds above,
come to know it all the same
Meaning: Though I do not say it, I hope that even you, as far away as the clouds, will come to know my boundless love.
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems IV 866

Headnote: "Sent to a woman for the first time."
The poet says that though he does not say it, he hopes that even she, as far off as the clouds, will know his boundless love. Likening the woman to whom he first reveals his feelings to someone beyond the clouds, out of reach, he hopes she will sense a love left unspoken.
According to the headnote, the poem was the first sent to a woman.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Iwanedomo," means "though I do not say it." It shares with "iwanu o shiru wa" in 825 in this book the theme of an unspoken love.
The second line, "waga kagiri naki," means "my boundless."
The third line, "kokoro o ba," means "heart," with "o ba" adding emphasis.
The fourth line, "kumoi ni tōki," means "as far as the clouds," a figure for someone of high rank or out of reach.
The last line, "hito mo shiranan," means "may that person know," with "nan" expressing a wish directed at another. It is the same expression as "sora ni shiranan," the last line of 842 in this book.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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