Okuyama no koke no koromo ni oku tsuyu wa namida no ame no shizuku narikeri

奥山の苔の衣に置く露は
涙の雨の雫なりけり

Roma-ji: Okuyama no koke no koromo ni oku tsuyu wa namida no ame no shizuku narikeri
English Translation: In the deep mountains
on the robe of moss they wear,
the dew that settles
is nothing but the dripping
of a rain of tears.
Meaning: The dew that settles on the moss robes of those in the deep mountains is the dripping of a rain of tears.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 610

Headnote: "Composed later, after meeting Hōgen Jōnin and hearing him tell of Mount Ōmine"
After meeting Hōgen Jōnin and hearing him tell of his ascetic practice on Mount Ōmine, the poet later composed this. The dew on the coarse robes of those who train in the deep mountains, he says, is the dripping of a rain of tears, sympathizing with their austerities. Kamo no Mabuchi marked it with a sign of praise.
The Ruijū text places it in its section on the gods with a slightly different headnote. Jōnin is thought to have been a mountain ascetic who trained at Kumano and Ōmine, but little is known of him. Part of the headnote is hard to read in the source as displayed.

Line 1 means "of the deep mountains," echoing the sound oku in "settling" in line 3.
Line 2 means "on the robe of moss," the coarse garb of monks and ascetics.
Line 3 means "the dew that settles."
Line 4 means "of the rain of tears," likening tears to rain.
Line 5 means "is the dripping," keri expressing realization.
Author: Minamoto no Sanetomo
Source: Kinkaishu
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