Poem Meaning and Background
あさぢふの・をののしのはら・しのぶれど
asajiu no・ono no shinohara・shinoburedo
あまりてなどか・ひとのこひしき
amarite nado ka・hito no koishiki
〜参議等 (Sangi Hitoshi)
Translation
Bamboo growing
Among the tangled reeds
Like my hidden love:
Though it is too much to bear
Why do I love her so?
Meaning
This poem reflects on the burden of carrying a hidden love. Like small stalks of bamboo sprouting up among the reeds, the author's love refuses to remain hidden and instead continues to grow. To hold it back is impossible, and though the author finds these feelings to be too much to bear, he cannot rid himself of them.
Actually, the entire first line of this poem comes from another poem included in the imperial poetry anthology, the Kokinshu. The author of that poem is unknown, but it goes:
浅茅生の 小野の篠原 しのぶとも 人知るらめや いふ人なしに
Roughly translated, the meaning is: "Does the object of my affections know of my hidden love? No, I can't imagine they do. After all, who would have told them for me?". The author of the poem [39] borrows this other poem's imagery in the first verse almost word for word, but plays around with the final line to turn it into an internal reflection of the author struggling to deal with this persistent love which refuses to be suppressed.
Roughly translated, the meaning is: "Does the object of my affections know of my hidden love? No, I can't imagine they do. After all, who would have told them for me?". The author of the poem [39] borrows this other poem's imagery in the first verse almost word for word, but plays around with the final line to turn it into an internal reflection of the author struggling to deal with this persistent love which refuses to be suppressed.
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