Koishi to mo iwanu ni nururu tamoto kana kokoro o shiru wa namida narikeri - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋しとも言はぬに濡るるたもとかな
心を知るは涙なりけり

Roma-ji: Koishi to mo iwanu ni nururu tamoto kana kokoro o shiru wa namida narikeri
English Translation: Though I never say
that I love her, how my sleeves
grow damp all the same:
it is my tears, I now see,
that know what lies in my heart
Meaning: I never say that I am in love, and yet my sleeves grow wet. It is my tears, I realize, that know my heart.
Commentary: Book Eleven Love Poems I 662

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Though I never say I love, he says, my sleeves grow wet; it is tears that know my heart. The conceit is that only tears know the love he never puts into words and wet his sleeves, expressing a feeling that shows itself however he tries to hold it back.
The author, "the Koga Palace Minister," is Minamoto no Masamichi. The son of Provisional Major Counselor Minamoto no Akimichi, he was adopted by his uncle Minamoto no Masasada. He rose to Palace Minister and was called the Koga Palace Minister.
It shares its third line with "itsushika nururu tamoto kana" in 644 of this book, as well as the idea that tears reveal love. Its last line, "namida narikeri," is the same as the last lines of 688 and 697.

First line, "koishi to mo": "that I love her."
Second line, "iwanu ni nururu": "ni" is adversative, "though I do not say it, they grow wet."
Third line, "tamoto kana": "kana" is an exclamatory final particle; the poem pauses here. It is the same as the third line of 644.
Fourth line, "kokoro o shiru wa": "what knows my heart."
Fifth line, "namida narikeri": "keri" expresses realization, "it was my tears." It is the same as the last lines of 688 and 697.
Author: Minamoto no Masamichi
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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