Sono suji ni irinaba kokoro nani shi ka mo hitome omoite yo ni tsutsumuran

その筋に入りなば心何しかも
人目思ひて世に包むらん

Roma-ji: Sono suji ni irinaba kokoro nani shi ka mo hitome omoite yo ni tsutsumuran
English Translation: If you've entered on
that path, my heart, why then
should you still, I ask,
mind the eyes of other men
and hide yourself from the world?
Meaning: If you have truly entered that path, my heart, why do you still mind others' eyes and keep yourself hidden from the world?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1429

Headnote: none
If you have entered that path, my heart, why do you still mind others' eyes and hide yourself from the world? the poet asks.
Though he should have entered the Buddhist path by taking vows, he questions a heart that still minds the world's eyes. Like 1416 and others in this book, it reflects on his incomplete renunciation.

First line, “sono suji ni”: on that path, the Buddhist way.
Second line, “irinaba kokoro”: naba is perfective nu with ba, "if you have entered, my heart."
Third line, “nani shi ka mo”: why.
Fourth line, “hitome omoite”: minding others' eyes.
Fifth line, “yo ni tsutsumuran”: ran conjectures a cause, "why hide from the world?"
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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