Kimi ga tame aki wa yo ni uki ori nare ya kozo mo kotoshi mo monoomoi nite

君がため秋は世に憂き折なれや
去年も今年も物思ひにて

Roma-ji: Kimi ga tame aki wa yo ni uki ori nare ya kozo mo kotoshi mo monoomoi nite
English Translation: For you, it would seem,
autumn is the saddest time
of all in the world,
for last year and this year too
you have been sunk deep in grief.
Meaning: Is autumn, for you, the most sorrowful season in all the world? Last year and this year alike, you have been sunk in grief.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 787

Headnote: "Sent to someone who was grieving in the same way"
Like the preceding exchange, this was sent to someone mourning a death in the family. Is autumn, for you, the most sorrowful of seasons, since last year and this year alike you have been sunk in grief, the poet says, feeling for one who has lost family two autumns in a row.

First line, “kimi ga tame”: for you.
Second line, “aki wa yo ni uki”: yo ni is above all in this world; autumn is especially sad.
Third line, “ori nare ya”: ya asks, is it such a season? The poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “kozo mo kotoshi mo”: last year and this year, two years of grief in a row.
Fifth line, “monoomoi nite”: being sunk in grief, inverted to give the reason.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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