Ureshiki mo uki mo kokoro wa hitotsu nite wakarenu mono wa namida narikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

うれしきも憂きも心は一つにて
分かれぬものは涙なりけり

Roma-ji: Ureshiki mo uki mo kokoro wa hitotsu nite wakarenu mono wa namida narikeri
English Translation: Whether glad or grieved,
the heart that feels it all
is one and the same,
and the thing that will not part
the two of them is tears
Meaning: In gladness and in sorrow the heart is one and the same, and what cannot tell the two apart, I find, is tears.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems II 1188

Headnote: "When I was sunk in brooding, someone of very high and noble rank sent to inquire after me."
The poet says that in gladness and sorrow the heart is one, and what cannot be told apart is tears. Receiving words of inquiry from someone of high rank while troubled, the poet describes how tears of gratitude and tears of grief spill forth as one.
According to the headnote, while the poet was sunk in brooding, someone of noble, exalted rank sent words of inquiry.
The poet is listed as anonymous, and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "Ureshiki mo," means "in gladness too," the joy of receiving the inquiry.
The second line, "uki mo kokoro wa," means "in sorrow too, the heart," the pain of brooding.
The third line, "hitotsu nite," means "is one."
The fourth line, "wakarenu mono wa," means "what cannot be told apart."
The last line, "namida narikeri," means "is tears, I find," with "keri" the exclamation of realization.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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