Ika ni semu inochi wa kagiri aru mono o koi wa wasurezu hito wa tsurenashi - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかにせむ命は限りあるものを
恋は忘れず人はつれなし

Roma-ji: Ika ni semu inochi wa kagiri aru mono o koi wa wasurezu hito wa tsurenashi
English Translation: What am I to do?
Life has its appointed end,
and yet even so,
love will not let me forget,
and she remains ever cold.
Meaning: What am I to do? My life has its limit, yet I cannot forget my love, and she remains so cold.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 642

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem laments that life has its limit, yet love cannot be forgotten and the beloved stays cold, so what is the poet to do. Setting side by side two contrasts, a limited life against an unending love, and the loving self against the cold beloved, it expresses suffering with nowhere to go. Taking up "tsurenaki hito" from the preceding poem, 641, it ends with "hito wa tsurenashi," and in singing of life and love it also connects with 646 and with the poems from 682 on that weigh life against meeting.

First line, "ika ni semu," means "what am I to do," and the poem breaks after this first line. The original text writes it in kanji.
Second line, "inochi wa kagiri," means "life has its limit," setting "wa" against the "wa" of the fourth line in contrast.
Third line, "aru mono o," means "though it has," with "mono o" concessive.
Fourth line, "koi wa wasurezu," means "love I cannot forget," setting "koi wa" beside "inochi wa" in the second line.
Final line, "hito wa tsurenashi," means "and she is cold," forming a parallel with the fourth line. It takes up the fourth line of the preceding poem, 641, "tsurenaki hito ni."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Oto ni nomi kikitsuru koi o hito shirezu tsurenaki hito ni narainuru kana
Next Poem: Yamabiko mo kotaenu yama no yobukodori ware hitori nomi naki ya wataramu