Iku chihata oreba ka aki no yamagoto ni kaze ni midaruru kagami naruramu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

いく千機織ればか秋の山ごとに
風に乱るる鏡なるらむ

Roma-ji: Iku chihata oreba ka aki no yamagoto ni kaze ni midaruru kagami naruramu
English Translation: How many thousand
looms did it take to weave them,
that on autumn hills,
each and every one, a mirror
tossed and tangled by the wind
Meaning: How many thousand looms must have woven them, that on every autumn hill there should be a mirror tossed and tangled by the wind?
Commentary: Book Seven Autumn Poems III 402

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet wonders how many thousand looms must have woven them, that on every autumn hill there is something tossed by the wind. It marvels at the leaves blazing and tangled in the wind on hill after hill, as if woven on countless looms.
Where the preceding poem sang of leaves fallen from the moon, this one sings of leaves tossed by the wind on every hill.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," which is treated here as "anonymous."
The text gives the last line as "kagami naruramu," which does not match "nishiki naruramu" in the kana reading line. The wording of the text is followed here.

The first line, "Iku chihata," means "with how many thousand looms."
In the second line, "ka" is an interrogative particle: "is it because they wove it?"
The third line, "aki no yamagoto ni," means "on every autumn hill," and has an extra syllable.
The fourth line, "kaze ni midaruru," means "tossed by the wind." 407 of this book places the same "kaze ni midaruru" in its fourth line, singing of leaves scattered by the wind.
The last line, "kagami naruramu," means "it must be a mirror," with "ka" in the second line and the attributive "ramu" forming a kakarimusubi pattern. The text has "kagami," mirror, but what answers "oreba," weaving, in the second line is "nishiki," brocade, in the reading line.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Momijiba no chirikuru mireba Nagatsuki no ariake no tsuki no katsura narurashi
Next Poem: Naozari ni aki no yamabe o koekureba oranu nishiki o kinu hito zo naki