Yamaoroshi ni shika no ne taguu yūgure ni mono kanashi to wa iu ni ya aruran

山おろしに鹿の音たぐふ夕暮に
ものかなしとはいふにやあるらん

Roma-ji: Yamaoroshi ni shika no ne taguu yūgure ni mono kanashi to wa iu ni ya aruran
English Translation: With the mountain gale
the stag's call comes keeping pace
in the evening dusk:
is this what people mean
when they say a thing is sad?
Meaning: At dusk, when the stag's call comes along with the wind sweeping down from the mountains, is this what people mean when they say a thing is sad?
Commentary: Autumn Poems 433

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Deer"
This is the fifth poem in the series on the deer. At dusk, when the deer's call comes alongside the fierce wind sweeping down from the mountains, is this the time people mean when they speak of sadness? In the scene where mountain wind, deer's call and dusk overlap, the poet finds the true meaning of the word monoganashi.
Following the preceding poem, where the deer's call adds to the sadness of autumn and draws out tears, this one takes the overlapping of wind, deer's call and evening as the very height of sadness.

First line, “yamaoroshi ni”: a hypermetric line of six syllables, with the wind sweeping down from the mountains.
Second line, “shika no ne taguu”: taguu is to go along with, the deer's call keeping company with the sound of the wind.
Third line, “yūgure ni”: at dusk, the time of it.
Fourth line, “mono kanashi to wa”: what one calls sad, to wa singling out the word itself.
Fifth line, “iu ni ya aruran”: ya is a question particle and ran present conjecture, is this what is meant.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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