Kouredomo hito no kokoro no tokenu ni wa musubare nagara kaeru tamazusa - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋ふれども人の心の解けぬには
結ばれながら帰る玉章

Roma-ji: Kouredomo hito no kokoro no tokenu ni wa musubare nagara kaeru tamazusa
English Translation: Though I long for her,
since her heart will not unbend
or come undone,
still tied up just as it was
my letter comes back again
Meaning: Though I love her, her heart will not come undone, and so my letter comes back to me still knotted as it was.
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 407

However much the poet longs for her, her heart will not soften, and the knotted letter he sent comes back still tied, never opened. Letting toku, to untie, and musubu, to tie, play on both the heart and the letter, the poem wittily conveys a love that gets no response.
Some manuscripts name Mino of the Empress's Household as the author and give the headnote 'When people offered love poems at the Empress's palace, on love whose letters are returned.' It would then be a poem on that topic.

First line, 'kouredomo', means though I long for her, using the concessive domo.
Second line, 'hito no kokoro no', means her heart.
Third line, 'tokenu ni wa', means since it does not soften, layering the heart that will not open over the knot of the letter that is never untied.
Fourth line, 'musubare nagara', means still tied, set against toke in the third line.
Final line, 'kaeru tamazusa', is the letter that comes back, closing with a noun. Like 'kakitayuru' in poem 372 and 'kakitsuramu' in poem 379 in this book, it sings of letters.
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
Prev Poem: Omoiyare towade hi o furu samidare no hitori yado moru sode no shizuku o
Next Poem: Kokorozashi asaji ga sue ni oku tsuyu no tamasaka ni tou hito wa tanomaji