Shinobitsutsu yoru koso kishika karakoromo hitoya mimu to wa omowazarishi o - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

忍びつつ夜こそきしか唐衣
ひとや見むとは思はざりしを

Roma-ji: Shinobitsutsu yoru koso kishika karakoromo hitoya mimu to wa omowazarishi o
English Translation: Hiding all the while,
I came by night, in robes
of Chinese cloth;
that I'd be seen, in a prison cell,
never once did I imagine.
Meaning: I came only by night, hiding as I went, wearing my fine Chinese robe; never did I think that I would be seen, or that I would see the inside of a jail.
Commentary: Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Love Poems 1225

Headnote: "Sent to his nurse by a man who had been arrested and was in jail"
The poet says that he came only by night, in secret, never thinking he would be seen and end up looking at a jail. The headnote shows it was sent to his nurse by a man who had been arrested and was in jail. Pivoting on "kishika," came and wore, and on "hitoya," whether people will see and a jail, he laments his plight, caught when his secret visits came to light, yet with a touch of wit.

First line, "shinobitsutsu," means "hiding all the while," with "tsutsu" expressing repetition.
Second line, "yoru koso kishika," is a pivot word: "ki" means "came" and "wore" a robe. The binding particle "koso" is resolved by "shika," the perfective form of the past auxiliary "ki," and here runs on with a concessive sense.
Third line, "karakoromo," means "a fine robe in the Chinese style," an associated word of "wore" in the second line.
Fourth line, "hitoya mimu to wa," is a pivot word: "hitoya" means "will people see" and "a jail." It layers being seen by others with coming to see a jail.
Final line, "omowazarishi o," means "though I never thought it," with "zari" negative, "shi" past, and "o" a concessive particle.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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