Shimo sayuru niwa no konoha o fumiwakete tsuki wa miru ya to tou hito mogana

霜冴ゆる庭の木の葉を踏み分けて
月は見るやと訪ふ人もがな

Roma-ji: Shimo sayuru niwa no konoha o fumiwakete tsuki wa miru ya to tou hito mogana
English Translation: Through the frozen frost
on the leaves within my garden
treading out a path,
'Are you looking at the moon?'
if only someone came to ask!
Meaning: If only someone would come, treading a path through the leaves of my frost-bound garden, to ask me, 'Are you watching the moon?'
Commentary: Winter Poems 521

Headnote: "The winter moon on a quiet night"
The topic is the winter moon on a quiet night. The poet wishes that someone would come, treading through the fallen leaves of a garden stiff with frost, to ask whether he is watching this moon. The loneliness of viewing the beautiful winter moon alone and the longing for someone to admire it with are both expressed.
Poem 557 in this book also ends with tou hito mogana, wishing for someone to visit and ask after the loneliness of the mountain village. The heart that waits for a visitor is sung again and again in this book.

First line, “shimo sayuru”: sayu is to be chill or frozen, the frost lying frozen.
Second line, “niwa no konoha o”: the leaves fallen in the garden.
Third line, “fumiwakete”: fumiwaku is to push one's way through on foot.
Fourth line, “tsuki wa miru ya to”: ya is a question particle, giving the visitor's words, are you looking at the moon.
Fifth line, “tou hito mogana”: tou is to visit or call on, and mogana expresses a wish, if only there were such a person.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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