Shinoburedo iro ni idenikeri waga koi wa mono ya omou to hito no tou made - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忍ぶれど色に出でにけり我が恋は
物や思ふと人の問ふまで

Roma-ji: Shinoburedo iro ni idenikeri waga koi wa mono ya omou to hito no tou made
English Translation: Though I hid it well,
it has shown in my face,
this love of mine,
so that people come to ask,
"Is something on your mind?"
Meaning: Though I kept it hidden, my love has shown itself in my face, so much that people ask me whether something is troubling my heart.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 622

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poetry contest in the Tenryaku era"
The poem says that though the poet kept it hidden, his love has shown in his face, so much that people ask whether something is on his mind. It expresses a love that cannot be hidden however one tries, through the concrete scene of being questioned by others. The headnote is the same as that of the preceding poem, 621, and at the Palace Poetry Contest of the fourth year of Tentoku it was paired with that poem by Mibu no Tadami. It is said that while the judge, Fujiwara no Saneyori, could not decide, Emperor Murakami was heard softly reciting this poem, and so it was declared the winner.
The author, Taira no Kanemori, was a son of Prince Atsuyuki, of the line of Emperor Kōkō, who left the imperial family and took the name Taira. He served as Governor of Suruga among other posts and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. This poem was chosen for the Hyakunin Isshu.

First line, "shinoburedo," means "though I kept it hidden," with "do" a concessive particle. Like the fourth line of the preceding poem, 621, "hito shirezu koso," it begins from a heart that conceals its love.
Second line, "iro ni idenikeri," means "it has shown in my face," and the poem breaks after this second line. It is a hypermetric line of eight syllables. "Iro ni izu," to show in one's color, is a phrase repeated in this book, appearing also in 625 and 633, "idenu beki," and in 632 and 634, "iro ni idezu wa."
Third line, "waga koi wa," means "this love of mine," giving the subject of the second line in inverted order.
Fourth line, "mono ya omou to," means "whether I am troubled," with the binding particle "ya" expressing a question.
Final line, "hito no tou made," means "so that people ask," with "made" expressing degree. Where the preceding poem has its love known through rumor, this poem sings of being questioned because of one's face, so the two form a pair in the way love becomes known.
Author: Taira no Kanemori
Source: Shui Wakashu
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