思ひいづるときはの山の郭公
唐紅のふりいでてぞなく
唐紅のふりいでてぞなく
- Roma-ji
-
Omoiizuru Tokiwa no yama no hototogisu
karakurenai no furiidete zo naku - English Translation
-
When I call to mind,
Mount Tokiwa’s cuckoo
cries out aloud,
as though crimson dye were
poured forth from its breast.
- Meaning
- When I recall the past, the cuckoo of Mount Tokiwa cries out, as though pouring forth deep crimson.
- Commentary
-
Book III, Summer Poems
The poem depicts the cuckoo crying in the mountains, composed with poetic artifice.
“Tokiwa” serves as a pivot word, referring both to Mount Tokiwa and to constancy.
“Crimson dye” evokes the image of dye being poured out, suggesting the cuckoo crying as if it were shedding blood.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Hototogisu na ga naku sato no amata areba
nao utomashiku omou mono kara - Next Poem
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Koe wa shite namida wa mienu hototogisu
waga koromode no hizu o karanamu