Aya hineru sasame no komino kinu ni kin namida no ame mo shinogi gatera ni

綾ひねるささめの小蓑衣に着ん
涙の雨もしのぎがてらに

Roma-ji: Aya hineru sasame no komino kinu ni kin namida no ame mo shinogi gatera ni
English Translation: A little straw cape,
woven twisted fine as silk
from the sasame grass,
I'll put on as my robe—to keep off
too, the rain of my own tears.
Meaning: I will wear as my robe a little raincoat of sasame grass, twisted fine as figured silk—to keep off the rain of my tears as well.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1316

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
He will wear a little straw cape woven of sasame grass as his robe, the poet says, to keep off the rain of his tears as well.
Likening overflowing tears to rain and proposing a straw cape to shield against them, the poem uses humorous hyperbole. Sasame was a grass used to weave rain capes; love's tears are so many that rain gear is needed.

First line, “aya hineru”: twisted and woven like figured silk.
Second line, “sasame no komino”: sasame is a grass for weaving rain capes; komino is a small cape.
Third line, “kinu ni kin”: n is volitional, "I will wear it as a robe"; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “namida no ame mo”: the rain of tears too, tears likened to rain.
Fifth line, “shinogi gatera ni”: while also keeping it off, the inversion giving the reason.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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