Yamashiro no mizu no mikusa ni tsunagarete koma mo monouge ni miyuru tabi kana

山城の美豆の御草につながれて
駒もの憂げに見ゆる旅かな

Roma-ji: Yamashiro no mizu no mikusa ni tsunagarete koma mo monouge ni miyuru tabi kana
English Translation: Tethered to the grass
of the pasture of Mizu,
here in Yamashiro,
even my horse seems unwilling—
such a dreary journey this.
Meaning: Tethered to the grass of the Mizu pastures in Yamashiro, even my horse looks reluctant to go—such a dreary journey this is.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1103

Headnote: "When I set out on pilgrimage toward the western provinces, the companion with whom I usually traveled stayed behind at a place called Mizu, saying that someone close to him was unwell"
As Saigyō set out on pilgrimage to the western provinces, the companion who usually traveled with him stayed at Mizu because a relative had fallen ill. Like a horse tethered to the grass of Mizu, his companion's heart is held there, and even the horse looks reluctant, the poet says; such is this journey.
Mizu, on the Yodo River in Yamashiro, had an imperial pasture and was a poetic place sung with "grass" and "horses." The loneliness of setting out without his companion is entrusted to the look of the horse.

First line, “Yamashiro no”: of Yamashiro Province.
Second line, “mizu no mikusa ni”: Mizu, a place in Yamashiro known for its pasture; mikusa is the pasture grass.
Third line, “tsunagarete”: tethered, overlaid with the companion held back by a relative's illness.
Fourth line, “koma mo monouge ni”: even the horse looking reluctant; "horse" and "tether" are associated words.
Fifth line, “miyuru tabi kana”: kana is exclamatory, closing on a lonely departure.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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