Naki hito mo aru o omou mo yo no naka wa nemuri no uchi no yume to koso mire

亡き人もあるを思ふも世の中は
眠りのうちの夢とこそ見れ

Roma-ji: Naki hito mo aru o omou mo yo no naka wa nemuri no uchi no yume to koso mire
English Translation: Those who are no more,
those who live, thinking of each,
all this world, I see,
is but a dream within
the slumber of a sleep.
Meaning: Whether I think of those who are gone or of those who still live, I see all of this world as a dream within a sleep.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 760

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
Whether one thinks of those who have died or of those still alive, all things of this world are like a dream seen in sleep, the poet says. Grasping even the line between life and death as something within a dream, he speaks of the world's impermanence.

First line, “naki hito mo”: those who are gone.
Second line, “aru o omou mo”: aru means the living, set against 'naki hito' in the first line.
Third line, “yo no naka wa”: the things of this world.
Fourth line, “nemuri no uchi no”: within sleep, a figure for the world of delusion like 'nagaki nemuri' in 758.
Fifth line, “yume to koso mire”: koso is answered by the perfective mire, stressing I see it as a dream.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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