Kimi ni somu kokoro no iro no fukasa ni wa nioi mo sara ni mienu narikeri

君に染む心の色の深さには
匂ひもさらに見えぬなりけり

Roma-ji: Kimi ni somu kokoro no iro no fukasa ni wa nioi mo sara ni mienu narikeri
English Translation: The color of a heart
so deeply dyed in you—
in its very depth,
not the slightest outer glow
can be seen, I come to know.
Meaning: So deep is the color of my heart, dyed in you, that not the slightest glow of it shows on the surface.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1342

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
So deep is the color of his heart, dyed in you, that no outward glow can be seen at all, the poet says.
Through the paradox that a color too deep cannot be seen from outside, it expresses a love too deep to show. Nioi, the glow of color, is associated with the color of the heart.

First line, “kimi ni somu”: dyed in you.
Second line, “kokoro no iro no”: of the heart's color, love likened to dye.
Third line, “fukasa ni wa”: in its depth.
Fourth line, “nioi mo sara ni”: nioi is the glow of color; sara ni with the negative means "not at all."
Fifth line, “mienu narikeri”: keri marks realization, "it cannot be seen."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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