Tsuyu no inochi itsu tomo shiranu yo no naka ni nado ka tsurashi to omoi okaruru - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

露の命いつとも知らぬ世の中に
などかつらしと思ひおかるる

Roma-ji: Tsuyu no inochi itsu tomo shiranu yo no naka ni nado ka tsurashi to omoi okaruru
English Translation: A life like the dew,
who knows when it may vanish,
in such a world as this,
why must I be set down
in your heart as cruel
Meaning: In this world where a life like the dew may vanish at any moment, why must I be laid down in your heart as one who is cruel?
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems VI 1008

Headnote: "Sent to a woman when he had wearied of courting her."
The poet asks why, in a world where a life like dew may vanish at any time, he should go on being thought cruel. Calling on the frailty of life, he pleads that it is hard to remain resented for the brief span he has.
According to the headnote, he sent it to a woman after courting her without success. "Tsuyu no inochi," a life like dew, appears again in 1031 in this book, where it is a life clinging to words of comfort.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Tsuyu no inochi," means "a life as frail as dew," running over to six syllables. It is the same phrase as the last line of 1031 in this book.
The second line, "itsu tomo shiranu," means "not knowing when it will vanish."
The third line, "yo no naka ni," means "in this world."
The fourth line, "nado ka tsurashi to," means "why as cruel," with "nado ka" interrogative and closed by the attributive "ruru" in the last line.
The last line, "omoi okaruru," means "must I be set down in your heart," with "oku," to set or settle, an associated word with "tsuyu," dew, in the first line. "Ruru" is the attributive of the passive auxiliary "ru."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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