Omoitokeba chisato no kage mo kazu narazu itaranu kuma mo tsuki ni araseji

思ひ解けば千里の影も数ならず
至らぬ隈も月にあらせじ

Roma-ji: Omoitokeba chisato no kage mo kazu narazu itaranu kuma mo tsuki ni araseji
English Translation: When I come to see,
even light a thousand leagues
is of no account;
no corner left unreached
shall the moon be allowed to keep.
Meaning: Once I come to understand, even the light that shines a thousand leagues is of no account; I will let no corner remain unreached by the moon.
Commentary: One Hundred Poems 1477

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Ten Poems on the Moon"
The fifth of the ten poems on the moon. Once one comes to understand, even moonlight reaching a thousand leagues is nothing much; he will leave no shadowed corner within.
It seems to carry a Buddhist sense of awakening, holding it more important to light every corner of the heart than to light the outer world. Where the preceding poems sang of the moon's brightness as a scene, this one recasts the moon as a matter of the heart.

First line, “omoitokeba”: when one comes to understand; the line has an extra syllable.
Second line, “chisato no kage mo”: even the moonlight reaching a thousand leagues.
Third line, “kazu narazu”: of no account; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “itaranu kuma mo”: even dark corners the light does not reach.
Fifth line, “tsuki ni araseji”: ji is negative intention, "I will not let them remain unlit by the moon."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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