Koishiki wa iro ni idete mo mienaku ni ika naru toki ka mune ni shimuran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋しきは色に出でても見えなくに
いかなる時か胸にしむらん

Roma-ji: Koishiki wa iro ni idete mo mienaku ni ika naru toki ka mune ni shimuran
English Translation: Longing, after all,
shows itself in no color
that the eye can see;
when is it, then, that it seeps
so deeply into the heart?
Meaning: Longing shows no color for the eye to see, so at what moment does it seep so deeply into the heart?
Commentary: Book Fifteen Love Poems V 939

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem asks: though longing does not show itself in any color, at what moment does it soak into the heart? Through words of dyeing, it sings of the wonder of an invisible longing that seeps, before one knows it, deep into the breast.

First line, "koishiki wa," means "longing, as for it." It opens with the same word as the first line of 938 in this book, "koishiki o."
Second line, "iro ni idete mo," means "even showing in color," with "iro" meaning one's complexion or outward appearance.
Third line, "mienaku ni," means "though it is not seen," with "naku ni" a negative adversative.
Fourth line, "ika naru toki ka," means "at what moment," with the binding particle "ka" forming a kakari-musubi with the final line.
Final line, "mune ni shimuran," means "does it soak into the heart," with "shimu" a pivot word joining "shimu," to pierce the heart, and "shimu," to be dyed, an associated word with "iro," color, in the second line. It closes with the attributive of the present conjectural "ran" in answer to "ka" in the fourth line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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