Still in Kaga, I lodged at Zenshoji, a temple outside the castle town of Daishoji. Sora had stayed there the night before and left this poem:

 yomosugara             All through the night
 akikaze kiku ya       listening to the autumn wind -
 ura no yama             the mountain in back.

One night's separation is the same at 1,000 leagues. I too listened to the autumn wind as I lay in the guest dormitory. Toward dawn, I heard clear voices chanting a sutra, and then the sound of a gong beckoned me into the dining hall. I left the hall as quickly as possible, eager to reach Echizen Province that day, but a group of young monks pursued me to the foot of the stairs with paper and inkstone. Observing that some willow leaves had scattered in the courtyard, I stood there in my sandals and dashed off these lines:

  niwa haite              To sweep your courtyard
  idebaya tera ni      of willow leaves, and then depart:
  chiru yanagi            that would be my wish!

At the Echizen border, I crossed Lake Yoshizaki by boat for a visit to the Shiogoshi pines.

 yomosugara              Inviting the gale
 arashi ni nami o      to carry the waves ashore
 hakobasete              all through the night,
 tsuki o taretaru     they drip moonlight from their boughs -
 shiogoshi no matsu           the pines of Shiogoshi!
    --Saigyo                        --Saigyo

In that single verse, the poet captures the essence of the scene at Shiozaki. For anyone to say more would be like "sprouting a useless digit."