Miwataseba Saho no kawara ni kurikakete kaze ni yoraruru aoyagi no ito

見渡せば佐保の河原にくりかけて
風に縒らるる青柳の糸

Roma-ji: Miwataseba Saho no kawara ni kurikakete kaze ni yoraruru aoyagi no ito
English Translation: As I gaze around,
on the riverbank of Saho,
reeled out far and wide,
twisted by the passing wind,
the green willow's slender threads.
Meaning: As I look out over the riverbank of Saho, the green willow's threads seem reeled out across it, twisted and spun by the wind.
Commentary: Spring Poems 54

Headnote: "Willows tossed by the wind"
The topic is willows tossed by the wind. Looking out over the riverbank of the Saho, the poet sees the willow branches strung along like reeled thread, twisted together by the wind.
Treating the branches as threads, the poet piles up words associated with thread, kuru, to reel, and yoru, to twist, to portray the motion of willows in the wind. The last line aoyagi no ito is the same as in the preceding poem; there the willow was wet with rain, while here it is spun by the wind across a broad riverbank.

First line, “miwataseba”: when I look out across, indicating a wide view.
Second line, “Saho no kawara ni”: on the riverbank of the Saho in Yamato, known for its willows.
Third line, “kurikakete”: kuru means to reel in thread, a word associated with thread.
Fourth line, “kaze ni yoraruru”: yoru means to twist thread together, also a thread association.
Fifth line, “aoyagi no ito”: closing on a noun, the same last line as the preceding poem, likening the wind-twisted branches to threads.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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