Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
戀すてふ
Mibu no Tadami · 壬生忠見
戀すてふ
わが名はまだき
立ちにけり
人知れずこそ
思ひそめしか
Historical kana
こひすてふ
わがなはまだき
たちにけり
ひとしれずこそ
おもひそめしか
Original English translation
Already the rumour that I am in love has spread, though I only began to think of you in secret.
History and context
Tadami’s poem is associated with the same 960 contest as Kanemori’s. Later stories dramatised the rivalry; they should be separated from the poem’s recorded literary competition.
Imagery and wordplay
The rumour moves faster than the relationship. “Already” clashes with a feeling that has only just begun.
Shūishū · 拾遺集恋一621
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.