郭公はつこゑきけばあぢきなく
ぬしさだまらぬこひせらるはた
ぬしさだまらぬこひせらるはた
- Roma-ji
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Hototogisu hatsukoe kikeba ajikinaku
nushi sadamaranu koi seraru hata - English Translation
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When first I hear it,
the cuckoo’s earliest cry,
helplessly I feel,
a longing for someone—
though no one is yet mine.
- Meaning
- When I hear the cuckoo’s first cry, though it cannot be helped, I find myself longing for someone, though no one is yet mine.
- Commentary
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Book III, Summer Poems
Composed upon hearing the cuckoo’s first call.
Hearing the cuckoo’s first cry brings about a longing for someone, even though there is no particular person to think of.
- Author
- Ki no Tomonori
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Otowayama kesa koekureba hototogisu
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Isonokami furuki miyako no hototogisu
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