Ōigawa momiji o wataru ikadashi wa sao ni nishiki o kakete koso mire - Kinyo Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

大堰川紅葉をわたる筏師は
棹に錦をかけてこそ見れ

Roma-ji: Ōigawa momiji o wataru ikadashi wa sao ni nishiki o kakete koso mire
English Translation: On Ōi River
crossing over the red leaves,
the raftsman, it seems,
has a brocade of crimson
hung upon his punting pole
Meaning: The raftsman crossing the red leaves on the Ōi River looks as though he has hung brocade upon his pole.
Commentary: Book Four Winter Poems 262

Leaves cling to the pole of the raftsman crossing the Ōi River, where fallen leaves float, so that he seems to have hung brocade upon it. The traditional image of leaves as brocade is brought to life in the concrete scene of a raftsman's pole.
Following the preceding poem, 261, on leaves flowing down the Tatsuta River, this poem sings of the leaves on the Ōi River in Yamashiro, and poems on rivers carrying leaves stand side by side.
From poem 257 through poem 266 in this book come poems on the sights of early winter, such as showers and colored leaves.

First line, 'ōigawa', is a river flowing at the foot of Arashiyama in Yamashiro, a poetic place famed for autumn leaves.
Second line, 'momiji o wataru', means crossing the red leaves, showing the river's surface carpeted with fallen leaves.
Third line, 'ikadashi wa', is a raftsman who poles timber down the river, adding a human figure to the scene.
Fourth line, 'sao ni nishiki o', means on his pole, brocade, likening the leaves caught on the pole to brocade. The next poem, 263, also likens leaves to brocade.
Final line, 'kakete koso mire', means it seems hung there, koso binding with the realis mire.
Source: Kinyo Wakashu
Prev Poem: Momiji chiru yama wa akigiri hare seneba tatsuta no kawa no nagare o zo miru
Next Poem: Mimuroyama momiji chiru rashi tabibito no suge no ogasa ni nishiki orikaku