いにしへも今も心のなければぞ
うきをも知らで年をのみふる
うきをも知らで年をのみふる
- Roma-ji
-
Inishie mo ima mo kokoro no nakereba zo uki o mo shirade toshi o nomi furu
- English Translation
-
In old days as now
I have never had a heart,
and that is why
knowing nothing of your grief
I only let the years go by
- Meaning
- Then as now I have had no heart at all, and that is why, knowing nothing of sorrow, I merely let the years go by.
- Commentary
-
Book Fourteen Love Poems VI 1004
Headnote: "Reply."
The reply says that, having had no heart either then or now, he lets the years go by knowing nothing of sorrow. Turning round her question whether his old heart has vanished, he answers in a teasing tone that since he never had one, it could hardly change.
According to the headnote, it appears to be the man's reply to the preceding poem, 1003. It sidesteps her reproach, and where she compared then and now, he declares that then and now are just the same.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.
The first line, "Inishie mo," means "in old days too," taking up "inishie no" in the first line of the preceding poem.
The second line, "ima mo kokoro no," means "and now as well, a heart," taking up "kokoro wa naku ya" in the second line of the preceding poem.
The third line, "nakereba zo," means "precisely because there is none," with "zo" an emphatic binding particle closed by the attributive "furu" in the last line.
The fourth line, "uki o mo shirade," means "not knowing sorrow," with "de" a negative conjunctive particle.
The last line, "toshi o nomi furu," means "I only let the years pass," taking up "taete toshi furu" at the end of the preceding poem and closing the "zo" of the third line with the attributive form.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Inishie no kokoro wa naku ya nariniken tanomeshi koto no taete toshi furu
- Next Poem
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Taetarishi mukashi dani mishi uchihashi o ima wa wataru to oto ni nomi kiku