Sode kawaku toki nakaritsuru waga mi ni wa furu o ame to mo omowazarikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

袖乾く時なかりつる我が身には
降るを雨とも思はざりけり

Roma-ji: Sode kawaku toki nakaritsuru waga mi ni wa furu o ame to mo omowazarikeri
English Translation: For one like me whose
sleeves have never had a time
when they could be dry,
what fell I did not even
take to be the rain
Meaning: To me, whose sleeves have never once been dry, what was falling did not even seem to be rain.
Commentary: Book Twenty Congratulatory Poems 1414

Headnote: "When in seclusion for the mourning of someone who had died, and someone came to call on a rainy day."
The poet says that to one whose sleeves never had time to dry, what fell did not seem to be rain. Shut away in mourning and ever wet with tears, the poet could not tell rain from tears and did not notice it was raining, showing the depth of the grief.
According to the headnote, it was composed when the poet was in seclusion for mourning and someone came to call on a rainy day.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known.

The first line, "Sode kawaku," means "sleeves drying."
The second line, "toki nakaritsuru," means "have had no time."
The third line, "waga mi ni wa," means "for me."
The fourth line, "furu o ame to mo," means "what falls, as rain," taking up the rain of the headnote.
The last line, "omowazarikeri," means "I did not think," with "keri" for realization. Poem 1423 of this book likewise sings of tears and rain together.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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