Ware bakari mono omou hito ya mata mo aru to morokoshi made mo tazunete shi kana

我ばかり物思ふ人や又もあると
唐土までも尋ねてしかな

Roma-ji: Ware bakari mono omou hito ya mata mo aru to morokoshi made mo tazunete shi kana
English Translation: Is there one besides,
who broods as deeply as I?
I would like to know,
and would seek them even
in the far land of Cathay.
Meaning: I wish I could travel even to far Cathay to see whether there is anyone else who broods as deeply as I.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1302

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
He would go even to far Cathay to see whether anyone else broods as he does, the poet says.
The sense that his brooding is beyond compare is expressed through the hyperbole of wishing to search as far as China. The depth of love's suffering is shown through vast distance in a memorable poem.

First line, “ware bakari”: as much as I.
Second line, “mono omou hito ya”: ya questions, "one who broods."
Third line, “mata mo aru to”: whether there is another; the line has an extra syllable.
Fourth line, “morokoshi made mo”: even to distant China.
Fifth line, “tazunete shi kana”: teshikana expresses a wish, "I would like to seek them."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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