Inishie ni kawaranu kimi ga sugata koso kyō wa tokiwa no katami narikere

いにしへに変はらぬ君が姿こそ
今日はときはの形見なりけれ

Roma-ji: Inishie ni kawaranu kimi ga sugata koso kyō wa tokiwa no katami narikere
English Translation: It is you, your form,
unchanged from the days of old,
that today has come
to be the keepsake of all
unaltered here at Tokiwa.
Meaning: It is your form, unchanged from the days of old, that today, at Tokiwa, stands as the keepsake of all that remains the same.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 734

Headnote: "When Tamenari held a dedication for a hall at Tokiwa, I heard that close friends who had left the world and lived in mountain temples had come, and sent this"
When Fujiwara no Tamenari held a dedication for a hall at his residence at Tokiwa, the poet heard that close friends who had renounced the world and lived in mountain temples had come, and sent this to Tamenari. While Tamenari's brothers had taken vows and changed their appearance, it is Tamenari's form, still in lay dress and unchanged from old, that is the keepsake of what does not change, as the name Tokiwa itself suggests.

First line, “inishie ni”: from the days of old.
Second line, “kawaranu kimi ga”: you who are unchanged, Tamenari still in lay dress.
Third line, “sugata koso”: the binding particle koso is answered by kere in the fifth line.
Fourth line, “kyō wa tokiwa no”: tokiwa is a pivot word joining the place name Tokiwa and tokiwa meaning everlasting.
Fifth line, “katami narikere”: closing the koso construction in the perfective; it is the keepsake.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
Prev Poem: Sumu to iishi kokoro no tsuki shi arawareba kono yo mo yami no harezarame ya wa
Next Poem: Iro kaete hitori nokoreru tokiwagi wa itsu o matsu to ka hito wa miruran