Kōri shite oto wa senedomo yamagawa no shita ni nagaruru mono to shirazu ya - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

氷して音はせねども山川の
下に流るるものと知らずや

Roma-ji: Kōri shite oto wa senedomo yamagawa no shita ni nagaruru mono to shirazu ya
English Translation: Though it makes no sound,
frozen over all in ice,
do you not know that
the mountain stream still flows
beneath, as my love flows on
Meaning: Though it is frozen and makes no sound, do you not know that the mountain stream still flows beneath the ice? So too my love flows on unseen.
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 227

The poet observes that even a mountain stream sealed in ice, making no sound, keeps flowing beneath, and appeals to the beloved that his unspoken love likewise flows ceaselessly at the bottom of his heart. The winter scene figures the inner intensity of a hidden love.

The first line, "kōri shite" (frozen over), shows a surface sealed shut.
The second line, "oto wa senedomo," joins the concessive "domo" to the perfective negative: though it makes no sound. "Oto" also hints at rumor.
The third line, "yamagawa no" (the mountain stream), stands for the poet keeping his feelings within. In contrast to the sounding valley stream of poem 191 in this book, it sings of water that makes no sound.
The fourth line, "shita ni nagaruru," overlays water flowing beneath the ice with feeling that continues deep in the heart.
The final line, "mono to shirazu ya," ends with an appeal formed with "ya": do you not know?
Source: Shika Wakashu
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