いその神ふるき宮この郭公
声許こそむかしなりけれ
声許こそむかしなりけれ
- Roma-ji
-
Isonokami furuki miyako no hototogisu
koe bakari koso mukashi narikere - English Translation
-
In Isonokami,
the ancient capital’s call
of the cuckoo—
its voice alone remains
just as it was long ago.
- Meaning
- In Isonokami, the old capital, only the voice of the cuckoo remains as it was in the past.
- Commentary
-
Book III, Summer Poems
Composed upon hearing the cuckoo at Isonokami Temple in Nara.
Though the former capital of Nara has changed and fallen into decline, only the cuckoo’s voice remains as it was in former times.
The poem is composed in a nostalgic tone, reflecting on the past from a later age.
- Author
- Sosei Hoshi
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Hototogisu hatsukoe kikeba ajikinaku
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Natsuyama ni naku hototogisu kokoro araba
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