Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
見せばやな
Inpumon’in no Taifu · 殷富門院大輔
見せばやな
雄島のあまの
袖だにも
濡れにぞ濡れし
色はかはらず
Historical kana
みせばやな
をじまのあまの
そでだにも
ぬれにぞぬれし
いろはかはらず
Original English translation
I wish I could show you my sleeves: even the fishers of Ojima soak theirs again and again, yet the colour does not change.
History and context
The poet served Inpumon’in and was known for her substantial waka output. This Senzaishū poem contrasts the sea-wet clothing of fishers with a lover’s more extreme poetic suffering.
Imagery and wordplay
The unspoken contrast is tears so intense they stain sleeves. The comparison asks the beloved to see what ordinary wetness cannot explain.
Senzaishū · 千載集恋四884
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.