Fumama uki momiji no nishiki chirishikite hito mo kayowanu omowaku no hashi

踏まま憂き紅葉の錦散り敷きて
人も通はぬ思はくの橋

Roma-ji: Fumama uki momiji no nishiki chirishikite hito mo kayowanu omowaku no hashi
English Translation: So loath to tread on it,
the brocade of autumn leaves
scattered thick and wide—
no one passes over now
the bridge of Omowaku.
Meaning: A brocade of autumn leaves, too lovely to tread upon, lies scattered across it—the Omowaku Bridge, where no one passes now.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1129

Headnote: "An old plank bridge was buried in autumn leaves, and finding it hard to cross, I hesitated; when I asked someone, he said, 'This is the bridge called Omowaku,' and hearing this I composed the poem." A note adds: "It is a bridge about two days' journey in beyond the village of Shinobu"
An old plank bridge lay buried under autumn leaves, and as Saigyō hesitated to cross, he was told it was the Omowaku Bridge. A brocade of leaves too beautiful to step on lies spread across it, the bridge where no one passes.
The Omowaku Bridge was a poetic place in Michinoku, its name, suggesting "thoughts," also used in love poems. The reluctance to tread on the leaf brocade and the loneliness of a bridge no one crosses are laid together, conveying the depth of autumn in the far north.

First line, “fumama uki”: reluctant to tread, too lovely to step on.
Second line, “momiji no nishiki”: autumn leaves seen as brocade.
Third line, “chirishikite”: scattered all over.
Fourth line, “hito mo kayowanu”: where no one passes, also the reason the leaves lie untrodden.
Fifth line, “omowaku no hashi”: a poetic place of Michinoku, ending on a noun to leave the lonely bridge in view.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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