Ureshiki wa ikabakari ka wa omouramu uki wa mi ni shimu mono ni zo arikeru - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

うれしきはいかばかりかは思ふらむ
憂きは身にしむものにぞありける

Roma-ji: Ureshiki wa ikabakari ka wa omouramu uki wa mi ni shimu mono ni zo arikeru
English Translation: As for joy, how much
I wonder do people feel
its touch in their hearts —
but sorrow, as I have learned,
is what sinks deep into the self
Meaning: How deeply people feel their joys, I cannot tell; but sorrow, I have found, is what sinks deep into one's very being.
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 223

The poet cannot say how deeply joys remain in the heart, but he has realized that sorrow surely sinks into one's being. As if answering the preceding poem's question, it states the felt truth that sadness is carved deeper than joy.

The first line, "ureshiki wa" (joy), singles it out with "wa." It takes up "ureshiki koto o" of the preceding poem, 222, and is placed like an answer.
The second line, "ikabakari ka wa," asks how much, posing a question with "ka wa."
The third line, "omouramu," closes "ka wa" with the attributive "ramu," a kakari-musubi with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "uki wa mi ni shimu," pairs with "ureshiki" in the first line, stating that sorrow sinks into the self.
The final line, "mono ni zo arikeru," forms a kakari-musubi of "zo" and the attributive "keru," ending with a realization.
Author: Fujiwara no Michinobu
Source: Shika Wakashu
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