Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
玉の緒よ
Princess Shikishi · 式子内親王
玉の緒よ
たえなば絶えね
ながらへば
忍ぶることの
弱りもぞする
Historical kana
たまのをよ
たえなばたえね
ながらへば
しのぶることの
よはりもぞする
Original English translation
Thread of my life, if you must break, then break; if I live on, my strength to conceal this love may fail.
History and context
Shikishi served as an imperial shrine priestess before becoming a leading poet. The Shinkokinshū places this among poems of concealed love; identifying a specific beloved remains speculative.
Imagery and wordplay
Life is a fragile cord. The fear concerns the breaking of secrecy as much as the breaking of life.
Shinkokinshū · 新古今集恋一1034
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.