Shika no tatsu nobe no nishiki no kirehashi wa nokori ōkaru kokochi koso sure

鹿の立つ野辺の錦の切れ端は
残り多かる心地こそすれ

Roma-ji: Shika no tatsu nobe no nishiki no kirehashi wa nokori ōkaru kokochi koso sure
English Translation: These shreds and remnants
of the brocade of the moor
where the deer stand—
how I feel, as I look on,
so much more remains unseen.
Meaning: These scraps of the brocade of the moors where the deer stand only make me feel how much more remains for me to see.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1160

Headnote: "Reply"
This is Saigyō's reply to Ninsai's poem. Looking at these flowers, like scraps cut from the brocade of the moors where the deer stand, he feels all the more how much remains unseen.
Seeing the gathered flowers as "scraps" cut from the brocade of the autumn moor, he sings of how their very beauty heightens his wish to see the whole field. Along with thanks for the flowers, he shows his longing for the autumn moors of Yoshino.

First line, “shika no tatsu”: where the deer appear, answering "the cry of the deer."
Second line, “nobe no nishiki no”: the flowering moor likened to brocade.
Third line, “kirehashi wa”: the cut-off scraps of the brocade, the flowers sent to him.
Fourth line, “nokori ōkaru”: much is left unseen.
Fifth line, “kokochi koso sure”: koso is emphatic, answered by the realis sure.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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