Tabibito no wakuru natsuno no kusa shigemi hazue ni suge no ogasa hazurete

旅人の分くる夏野の草茂み
葉末に菅の小笠はづれて

Roma-ji: Tabibito no wakuru natsuno no kusa shigemi hazue ni suge no ogasa hazurete
English Translation: Where the traveler
parts the summer meadow grass,
so thick does it grow,
just above the blades' tips there
peeks his little hat of sedge.
Meaning: The grass grows so thick in the summer field the traveler makes his way through that only his little sedge hat shows above the tips of the blades.
Commentary: Summer Poems 237

Headnote: "On the topic of deep grass on a journey"
The headnote shows that the poem was composed on the topic of deep grass on a journey. The traveler crossing the summer field is hidden by the thick grass, and only his little sedge hat peeks out above the tips of the blades. The depth of the grass is drawn vividly through that single detail of the hat alone in view.
The next poem, on the same topic, also tells of a traveler crossing the summer fields.

First line, “tabibito no”: the traveler, owner of the hat in the lower lines.
Second line, “wakuru natsuno no”: the summer field through which he parts the grass.
Third line, “kusa shigemi”: an adjective stem with mi, because the grass is thick.
Fourth line, “hazue ni suge no”: hazue is the tip of the blades of grass, and suge is the sedge from which hats were made.
Fifth line, “ogasa hazurete”: the little sedge hat sticking out above the tips, leaving as an aftertone the image of a hat alone moving along.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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