Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
陸奥の
Minamoto no Tōru · 河原左大臣
陸奥の
しのぶもぢずり
誰故に
みだれ初めにし
我ならなくに
Historical kana
みちのくの
しのぶもぢずり
たれゆゑに
みだれそめにし
われならなくに
Original English translation
Like the tangled shinobu-patterned cloth of Michinoku, my heart began to wander—for whose sake? Certainly not my own.
History and context
Minamoto no Tōru is named in the collection by his court title, Minister of the Left at Kawara. The poem invokes patterned cloth associated with the northeastern region of Michinoku.
Imagery and wordplay
Midare means both a disordered pattern and an unsettled heart. The question directs responsibility towards the beloved.
Kokinshū · 古今集恋四724
Japanese text and historical kana follow the linked Wikisource transcription. Classical poems can have variant spellings and wording in different anthologies. The source anthology reference identifies the version represented in this collection, not necessarily its earliest surviving text. English prose translations and reading notes are original interpretations; some wordplay permits more than one reading.