Wasurenishi hito no sara ni mo koishiki ka muge ni koji to wa omou mono kara - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忘れにし人のさらにも恋しきか
むげにこじとは思ふものから

Roma-ji: Wasurenishi hito no sara ni mo koishiki ka muge ni koji to wa omou mono kara
English Translation: The one who forgot—
do I long for them anew
even more than before?
though I think they surely will
never come to me again.
Meaning: Do I long anew for the one who has forgotten me, though I think they will never come again?
Commentary: Book Seven Names of Things 365

Headnote: "Kenigoshi (morning glory seeds)"
The poet finds that the one who has forgotten her seems dear again, even while she thinks that person will surely never come. Within the heart of a love that cannot be given up, the name "kenigoshi" given in the headnote is hidden in the run of sounds "muge ni koji" in the fourth line. The headnote names the thing hidden in the poem.
In the Kokinshū too there is a poem by Yatabe no Nazane on the topic "kenigoshi," which likewise hides the name of morning glory seeds in the sounds "ni koshi."

First line, "wasurenishi," means "who has forgotten," with "ni" perfective and "shi" a past auxiliary.
Second line, "hito no sara ni mo," means "that person, anew."
Third line, "koishiki ka," means "do I long for," and the poem pauses here.
Fourth line, "muge ni koji to wa," means "that they will never come," with "ji" an auxiliary of negative conjecture. "Ge ni koji" hides the name "kenigoshi." Following the morning glory of the preceding poem, the name of its seeds is sung of.
Final line, "omou mono kara," means "though I think," with "mono kara" expressing concession. By inversion it attaches to the third line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Waga yado no hana no ha ni nomi nuru chō no ika naru asa ka hoka yori wa kuru
Next Poem: Aki no no ni hana chō hana o oritsureba wabishira ni koso mushi mo nakikere