Oto wa sete iwa ni tabashiru arare koso yomogi no mado no tomo to narikere

音はせて岩にたばしる霰こそ
蓬の窓の友となりけれ

Roma-ji: Oto wa sete iwa ni tabashiru arare koso yomogi no mado no tomo to narikere
English Translation: Clattering as it
bounces off the rocks, the hail,
it alone, has come
to be a friend to my window
grown thick with mugwort.
Meaning: The hail that clatters and bounces off the rocks has become a friend to my window overgrown with mugwort.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 963

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The hail that clatters off the rocks has become a friend to my mugwort-grown window, the poet says, telling how in a winter mountain dwelling no one visits, only the sound of hail keeps him company.

First line, “oto wa sete”: making a sound.
Second line, “iwa ni tabashiru”: tabashiru is to bounce and scatter.
Third line, “arare koso”: koso is answered by kere in the fifth line.
Fourth line, “yomogi no mado no”: of the window overgrown with mugwort, a neglected dwelling.
Fifth line, “tomo to narikere”: it has become my friend, the perfective closing koso.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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