Ika ni sen omoi o hito ni somenagara iro ni ideji to shinobu kokoro o - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いかにせん思ひを人に染めながら
色に出でじと忍ぶ心を

Roma-ji: Ika ni sen omoi o hito ni somenagara iro ni ideji to shinobu kokoro o
English Translation: What am I to do?
I have dyed her with my love,
yet this heart of mine,
resolved not to show its hue,
must bear it all in silence
Meaning: What am I to do with this heart, which has dyed her deep with my love and yet endures in secret, determined never to let its color show?
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 646

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
What am I to do, he says, with this heart that has dyed her with my love yet endures, resolved not to let the color show? Layering the related words of dyeing, "some," "to dye," and "iro," "color," he expresses the pain of a hidden love, deeply steeped in her within yet holding back from showing it.
The author, "the Enkyū Third Prince," is Prince Sukehito. The third son of Emperor Go-Sanjō, he was called by this name as the third prince born in the Enkyū era. Though regarded as a strong candidate for the throne, he never became emperor. He was the father of Minamoto no Arihito, the Hanazono Minister of the Left.
In this book, poems opening with "ika ni semu" also appear at 668, 691 and 703. The fourth line, "iro ni ideji," is the same as the second line of 683, and it shares its wording with "iro ni wa ideji" in the fourth line of 664.

First line, "ika ni sen": "what am I to do?" The poem pauses here and stands in inverted order with the last line. Poems 668, 691 and 703 open with the same line.
Second line, "omoi o hito ni": "my love, upon her."
Third line, "somenagara": "some" means to dye her deep with love, a related word to "iro," "color," in the fourth line. "Nagara" is adversative, "though I have dyed her."
Fourth line, "iro ni ideji to": "iro ni izu" means for feelings to show outwardly, and "ji" is the negative volitional, "resolved not to let it show." It is the same as the second line of 683.
Fifth line, "shinobu kokoro o": "this heart that endures in secret," turning back to "ika ni sen" in the first line.
Author: Prince Sukehito
Source: Senzai Wakashu
Prev Poem: Mokuzubi no isoma o wakuru isaribune honoka narishi ni omoisometeki
Next Poem: Hitome mishi hito wa tare to mo shirakumo no uwa no sora naru koi mo suru kana