Tsutsumedomo sode yori hoka ni koboreidete ushirometaki wa namida narikeri

包めども袖より外にこぼれ出でて
うしろめたきは涙なりけり

Roma-ji: Tsutsumedomo sode yori hoka ni koboreidete ushirometaki wa namida narikeri
English Translation: Though I wrap them up,
they come spilling out beyond
my sleeves after all—
what keeps me uneasy, I find,
is nothing but these tears.
Meaning: However I wrap them, they spill out beyond my sleeves—it is my tears that keep me ever uneasy.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1338

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
However much he hides them, his tears spill beyond his sleeves, and it is they that keep him uneasy, the poet says.
Like 1243 and 1247, it takes as its theme tears that betray hidden love. The word ushirometashi conveys a heart on edge, fearing at any moment that the tears will be seen.

First line, “tsutsumedomo”: domo is concessive, "though I wrap them."
Second line, “sode yori hoka ni”: beyond my sleeves.
Third line, “koboreidete”: spilling out; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “ushirometaki wa”: ushirometashi is to be uneasy.
Fifth line, “namida narikeri”: keri marks realization, "it is the tears."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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