Fuku kaze ni kumo no hatate wa todomu tomo ikaga tanoman hito no kokoro wa - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

吹く風に雲のはたては留むとも
いかが頼まん人の心は

Roma-ji: Fuku kaze ni kumo no hatate wa todomu tomo ikaga tanoman hito no kokoro wa
English Translation: Though in the blowing wind
the far edges of the clouds
might be held in place,
how could I ever trust
the heart of another?
Meaning: Even if the trailing edges of the clouds could be held back in the blowing wind, how could anyone rely on another's heart?
Commentary: Book Fourteen Love Poems IV 902

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that even if one could hold back the trailing edge of clouds driven by the blowing wind, how could one rely on a person's heart? It laments a human heart even more changeable and undependable than clouds that cannot be held.

First line, "fuku kaze ni," means "in the blowing wind."
Second line, "kumo no hatate wa," means "the far edge of the clouds."
Third line, "todomu tomo," means "even if it could be held back," with "tomo" an adversative supposition. It shares the idea of holding back with the second line of the next poem, 903, "todome mo aenu."
Fourth line, "ikaga tanoman," means "how could I rely on," with "ikaga" rhetorical. The poem breaks here.
Final line, "hito no kokoro wa," means "a person's heart," inverted with the fourth line. With the final line of the next poem, 903, "hito no kokoro ka," two poems ending on "a person's heart" stand side by side.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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