As Banked Clouds Poem by Saigyo

with just a little change, the syllabic pattern in the translation of this waka (tanka) would be respected [= 3 7 5 6 7, and not 3 7 6 5 7 syllables] As banked clouds are swept apart by the wind, at dawn the sudden cry of the first wild geese winging across the mountains

In Saigyō's time, the Man'yōshū was no longer a big influence on waka poetry, compared to the Kokin Wakashū. Where the Kokin Wakashū was concerned with subjective experience, word play, flow, and elegant diction (neither colloquial nor pseudo-Chinese) , the Shin Kokin Wakashū (formed with poetry written by Saigyō and others writing in the same style) was less subjective, had fewer verbs and more nouns, was not as interested in word play, allowed for repetition, had breaks in the flow, was slightly more colloquial and more somber and melancholic. Due to the turbulent times, Saigyō focuses not just on mono no aware (sorrow from change) but also on sabi (loneliness) and kanashi (sadness) . Though he was a Buddhist monk, Saigyō was still very attached to the world and the beauty of nature. [from W.]