Sahogawa no kiyoki kawara ni naku chidori kawazu to futatsu wasurekanetsu mo

佐保川の清き川原に鳴く千鳥
かはづと二つ忘れかねつも

Roma-ji: Sahogawa no kiyoki kawara ni naku chidori kawazu to futatsu wasurekanetsu mo
English Translation: On the Saho River's
clear and sparkling riverbed
the plovers cry—
with the river frogs, those two
I never can forget
Meaning: The plovers crying on the clear riverbanks of the Saho, and the river frogs as well—the two of them I can never forget.
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1123

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Birds"
The poet says he can never forget the cries of the plovers on the clear riverbank of the Saho, nor the voices of the river frogs. Through the two sounds ringing over the clear stream, he expresses deep affection for the charm of the Saho River.
In the group on birds, the next poem also sings of plovers on the Saho River, forming a pair. The phrase "clear riverbanks" also appears in poem 1106 in this book, where a riverbank with singing river frogs is described. The poet is unknown.

The first line names the Saho River, which flows northeast of the capital at Nara.
The second line, "clear and sparkling riverbed," is the same as the second line of poem 1106.
The third line, "the plovers cry," names the plovers on the riverbank; plovers appear again in the second line of the next poem.
The fourth line, "with the river frogs, those two," sets the two voices, plover and frog, side by side.
In the final line, "kane" means "cannot," "tsu" is perfective, and "mo" exclamatory: "I simply cannot forget."
Source: Manyoshu
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