Akoya toru igai no kara o tsumiokite takara no ato o misuru narikeri

阿古屋採るいがひの殻を積み置きて
宝の跡を見するなりけり

Roma-ji: Akoya toru igai no kara o tsumiokite takara no ato o misuru narikeri
English Translation: The igai shells
from which pearls were taken out,
heaped up in a pile—
it is the traces of treasure
that they show to all who pass.
Meaning: The igai shells from which the pearls were taken are heaped up, showing the traces of treasure that once lay within.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1387

Headnote: "Crossing to Irago, I saw that the shells called igai, in which most of the akoya pearls are found, had been piled high after the pearls were taken out"
Crossing to Irago, Saigyō saw the shells of igai, the chief source of pearls, heaped high after the pearls had been removed. The igai shells from which pearls were taken lie piled up, showing the traces of treasure, he says.
Calling the shells emptied of pearls "the traces of treasure," he cherishes the memory of the treasure once there, and senses in the heaps of shells the transience of human endeavor.

First line, “akoya toru”: akoya are pearls; taking pearls.
Second line, “igai no kara o”: the shells of the igai.
Third line, “tsumiokite”: piling them up.
Fourth line, “takara no ato o”: the traces of treasure.
Fifth line, “misuru narikeri”: keri marks realization, "so they show it."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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