The original poem was that of MINAMOTO no Muneyuki in Kokin Wakashu "Villages in the Mountain are; now at the peak of emptiness; when people and leaves are withered."
「古今和歌集」源宗于の歌（山里は冬ぞ寂しさまさりける　人目も草も枯れぬと思へば）が元歌。