Haru kureba yanagi no ito mo tokenikeri musubōretaru waga kokoro kana - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

春来れば柳の糸もとけにけり
結ぼほれたる我が心かな

Roma-ji: Haru kureba yanagi no ito mo tokenikeri musubōretaru waga kokoro kana
English Translation: Now that spring has come,
the willow's threads have loosened
and come undone too,
yet my heart is knotted still
and will not unravel so.
Meaning: Now that spring has come, even the threads of the willow have come undone, yet my heart remains knotted in gloom.
Commentary: Book Thirteen Love Poems III 814

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem laments that spring has come and even the thread-like branches of the willow have come loose, yet one's own heart remains knotted and will not untie. It contrasts the willow budding and swaying supple in the wind with a heart weighed down by love.

First line, "haru kureba," means "since spring has come."
Second line, "yanagi no ito mo," means "the willow's threads too," the thread-like branches. It shares the willow thread with the third line of the next poem, 815, "aoyagi no."
Third line, "tokenikeri," means "have come undone," with a caesura here. "toke," untie, and "musubōre," knot, are associated words of thread.
Fourth line, "musubōretaru," means "knotted with gloom," laying the heart over thread tied fast and unable to loosen. It pairs with "toke" in the third line.
Final line, "waga kokoro kana," means "such is my heart," with "kana" exclamatory.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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