Waga koi ya futami kawareru tamakushige ika ni suredomo au kata mo naki - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

わが恋やふたみ変はれる玉櫛笥
いかにすれどもあふかたもなき

Roma-ji: Waga koi ya futami kawareru tamakushige ika ni suredomo au kata mo naki
English Translation: Is this love of mine
a comb box whose lid and base
have been changed around,
so that whatever I try,
there is no way they will meet
Meaning: Is my love a jeweled comb box whose lid and base have been switched, so that whatever I do, there is no way for them, or us, to meet?
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 226

The poet likens his love to a comb box whose lid and base have been mixed up so that they never fit, however one tries. Through the wit of joining "au" (to fit) and "au" (to meet), the poem expresses the frustration of a love with no way to meet.

The first line, "waga koi ya" (is my love), poses a question with "ya." Like 193 and 212 of this book, it belongs to the type that likens "my love" to something.
The second line, "futami kawareru," refers to the lid (futa) and base (mi) of the box, which have been swapped.
The third line, "tamakushige," names a fine box for combs; since it consists of lid and base, it is an associated word with the second line.
The fourth line, "ika ni suredomo" (whatever I do), uses the concessive "domo."
The final line, "au kata mo naki," is a pivot word joining lid and base fitting together with meeting a lover, and closes the "ya" of the first line in the attributive form.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shika Wakashu
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