Sumu koto wa tokorogara zo to iinagara Takano wa mono no aware naru kana

住むことは所がらぞと言ひながら
高野はもののあはれなるかな

Roma-ji: Sumu koto wa tokorogara zo to iinagara Takano wa mono no aware naru kana
English Translation: How one dwells depends,
so they say, upon the place,
and even so, here
on Kōya, how deeply things
move the heart to sorrow.
Meaning: They say that how one lives depends upon the place, and yet Kōya is truly a place that moves the heart.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 913

Headnote: "Sent from Kōya to someone in the capital"
This was sent from Mount Kōya to someone in the capital. They say how one lives depends on the place, yet Kōya truly moves the heart, the poet says, conveying to a person in the capital his feelings about life on Kōya.

First line, “sumu koto wa”: living somewhere.
Second line, “tokorogara zo to”: tokorogara is the character of a place.
Third line, “iinagara”: nagara is concessive, though they say.
Fourth line, “Takano wa mono no”: Kōya, the sacred center of Shingon esoteric Buddhism.
Fifth line, “aware naru kana”: kana is exclamatory; how deeply it moves the heart.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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