Taguinaki mukashi no hito no katami ni wa kimi o nomi koso tanomimashikere

たぐひなき昔の人の形見には
君をのみこそ頼みましけれ

Roma-ji: Taguinaki mukashi no hito no katami ni wa kimi o nomi koso tanomimashikere
English Translation: As the keepsake of
the one now gone, beyond compare,
it is you alone,
you and no other, on whom
I would wish to rely.
Meaning: As a keepsake of the one now gone, who had no equal, it is you alone on whom I would wish to rely.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 811

Headnote: "This poem too was enclosed besides the reply"
This was enclosed separately from the reply, its author likewise unnamed. As a keepsake of the late Narimichi, who had no equal, it is on you alone I would rely, the writer says, cherishing Saigyō, close to the departed, as a living keepsake of him.

First line, “taguinaki”: without equal.
Second line, “mukashi no hito no”: mukashi no hito is one who has died, Narimichi.
Third line, “katami ni wa”: as a keepsake.
Fourth line, “kimi o nomi koso”: nomi limits, you alone; koso is answered in the fifth line.
Fifth line, “tanomimashikere”: mashikere is the perfective of the counterfactual mashi; on you I would wish to rely.
Source: Sankashu
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