Mono omou sode ni nageki no take miete shinobu shiranu wa namida narikeri

物思ふ袖に嘆きの丈見えて
忍ぶ知らぬは涙なりけり

Roma-ji: Mono omou sode ni nageki no take miete shinobu shiranu wa namida narikeri
English Translation: On my brooding sleeves
the full measure of my grief
is plain to be seen—
what never learns to hide
is the tears, I come to know.
Meaning: On my brooding sleeves the full depth of my grief is plain to see; it is my tears that know nothing of hiding.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1298

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
On his brooding sleeves the depth of his grief can be seen, and it is his tears that know nothing of concealment, the poet says.
The amount of tears wetting the sleeves reveals the depth of grief as it is. Like 1247, it takes as its theme tears that betray a hidden love.

First line, “mono omou”: brooding.
Second line, “sode ni nageki no”: on the sleeves, of grief.
Third line, “take miete”: take is depth or measure; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “shinobu shiranu wa”: what knows nothing of hiding.
Fifth line, “namida narikeri”: keri marks realization, "it is the tears."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
Prev Poem: Koto toeba motehanaretaru keshiki kana uraraka nare ya hito no kokoro no
Next Poem: Kusa no ha ni aranu tamoto mo mono omoeba sode ni tsuyu oku aki no yūgure