声はして涙は見えぬ郭公
わが衣手のひづをからなむ
わが衣手のひづをからなむ
- Roma-ji
-
Koe wa shite namida wa mienu hototogisu
waga koromode no hizu o karanamu - English Translation
-
Your voice I hear,
but never see your tears,
o cuckoo crying—
take, then, my sleeves instead,
soaked through with falling tears.
- Meaning
- I hear your voice but cannot see your tears, O cuckoo; then take my sleeves, soaked through with tears.
- Commentary
-
Book III, Summer Poems
Though the cuckoo’s cry is heard, its tears are unseen. The poet offers his own tear-soaked sleeves instead, as if to lend his sorrow to the bird.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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