Ikade ka to omou kokoro no aru toki wa obomeku sae zo ureshikarikeru - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかでかと思ふ心のある時は
おほめくさへぞうれしかりける

Roma-ji: Ikade ka to omou kokoro no aru toki wa obomeku sae zo ureshikarikeru
English Translation: When there is a heart
that longs, "somehow, let us meet,"
even her pretending
not to understand at all
has seemed a joy to me.
Meaning: When my heart longs to meet her somehow, even her vague, evasive answers seemed a joy to me.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 693

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that when the poet's heart longs somehow to meet her, even her vague, evasive manner seemed a joy. It expresses the touching heart of one in love who finds hope even in being put off rather than refused. Following the preceding poem, 692, which said life lengthens merely by being given hope, it sings of a heart that rejoices in the slightest response.

First line, "ikade ka to," means "'somehow,'" using the same "ikade" as the first lines of 634 and 635, "ikade ka wa."
Second line, "omou kokoro no," means "a heart that longs," the same line as the second line of 633 and others.
Third line, "aru toki wa," means "when there is."
Fourth line, "obomeku sae zo," means "even her evasiveness," with "sae" an adverbial particle of addition and the binding particle "zo" resolved by "keru" in the final line.
Final line, "ureshikarikeru," means "has seemed a joy," with "keru" the attributive form of the past auxiliary "keri."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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