Nani ni ka wa sode no nururan shiranami no nagori arige mo mienu kokoro o - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

何にかは袖の濡るらん白浪の
なごりありげも見えぬ心を

Roma-ji: Nani ni ka wa sode no nururan shiranami no nagori arige mo mienu kokoro o
English Translation: Why then should it be
that your sleeves are wet with tears—
of the white waves,
not a trace of lingering
shows in that heart of yours
Meaning: Why should your sleeves be wet? Your heart shows not the slightest trace of lingering, like the wake left by white waves.
Commentary: Book Twelve Love Poems IV 885

Headnote: "Reply."
The poet asks why his sleeves should be wet, when his heart shows no sign of lingering like the wake of white waves. To one who protests that his sleeves never dry from lingering feeling, she retorts teasingly that she sees no such attachment in his heart.
It is the reply to the preceding poem, 884, taking up its "sleeves," "white waves," and "nagori."
The poet, Taifu, was a lady-in-waiting whose origins are not clear. She is known for exchanging love poems with Ono no Michikaze, Fujiwara no Asatada, Fujiwara no Atsutada, and others.

The first line, "Nani ni ka wa," means "why," with "ka wa" an interrogative binding particle.
The second line, "sode no nururan," means "should your sleeves be wet," closing with the attributive "ran" in answer to "ka wa" in the first line. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "shiranami no," means "of the white waves," taking up the third line of the preceding poem unchanged.
The fourth line, "nagori arige mo," means "any sign of lingering," with "nagori" joining "wake" and "lingering," taking up the fourth line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "mienu kokoro o," means "in a heart that shows none," with "o" adversative. It is inverted with the second line.
Author: Taifu
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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