Tsutsumedomo hito shiru koi ya ōigawa iseki no hima o kuguru shiranami

包めども人知る恋や大井川
堰の隙を潜る白波

Roma-ji: Tsutsumedomo hito shiru koi ya ōigawa iseki no hima o kuguru shiranami
English Translation: Though I hide it close,
is it a love that others know?
On the Ōi River,
through the gaps in the weir
the white waves slip and flow.
Meaning: However I hide it, is this a love that others will know? Like the white waves of the Ōi River, slipping through the gaps in the weir.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1268

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
However much I hide it, is this a love others will come to know, like the white waves of the Ōi River slipping through the gaps in the weir? the poet asks.
Water that leaks through a weir despite being dammed figures a love that escapes despite concealment. The Ōi River in Saga, Yamashiro, was a poetic place; "wrapping" and "weir" both mean holding something in.

First line, “tsutsumedomo”: domo is concessive, "though I hide it."
Second line, “hito shiru koi ya”: ya questions, "is it a love others know?"
Third line, “ōigawa”: the Ōi River in Saga, a poetic place.
Fourth line, “iseki no hima o”: through the gaps of the weir.
Fifth line, “kuguru shiranami”: ending on a noun, white waves slipping through, figuring love that cannot be hidden.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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