My reply:
ぬししれと引きける駒の雪を分けばかしこき跡にかへれとぞ思ふ
| nushi shire to hikikeru koma no yuki o wakeba kashikoki ato ni kaere to zo omou | ‘Know your master!’ Following such a mount Forged through the snow did you, then In his fine footsteps Returned home, I feel! |
387
I wrote this myself and sent it with Naitō Tomochika, Secretary of the Bureau of Horses, having selected him as a trustworthy individual.
On a snowy day in the Second Month of Kenryaku 2 [March 1212], Senior Assistant Minister of Public Affairs Yukimitsu came to call at my house, saying he wanted to take a look at the scenery from a mountain retreat; many others were there, including Yukimura, Secretary of Yamajiro and we enjoyed ourselves late into the night with music and poetry. When it was time for him to return, I gifted Yukimitsu with a black horse and when I saw him the following day, I found a piece of paper tied to the horse’s mane, which read
この雪を分けて心の君にあればぬししる駒のためしをぞひく
| kono yuki o wakete kokoro no kimi ni areba nushi shiru koma no tameshi o zo hiku | Through this snow To forge, the heart Had one, then A mount who knows his master well Is an example to follow! |
386
A poem composed and sent on a snowy day to someone who was unable to leave his house on account of an injured leg.
| furu yuki o ika ni aware to nagamuran kokoro wa omou tomo ashi tatazushite | At the falling snow How sadly You must be gazing! Your heart is at my service, but Your leg pays no heed! |
385
Snow at a retreat[i]
ふるさとはうらさびしともなきものをよし野のおくの雪の夕ぐれ
| furusato wa urasabishi to mo naki mono o yoshino no oku no yuki no yūgure | At the ancient capital Filled with lonely sadness I am not, yet Deep in Yoshino Snow falls in the evening… |
383
