Kamunabi no iwase no mori no yobukodori itaku na nakiso aga koi masaru

神なびの石瀬の社の呼子鳥
いたくな鳴きそ我が恋まさる

Roma-ji: Kamunabi no iwase no mori no yobukodori itaku na nakiso aga koi masaru
English Translation: In the sacred grove,
in the woods of Iwase,
O calling bird,
do not cry so piercingly,
for my longing grows the more
Meaning: O calling bird in the sacred grove of Iwase, do not cry so piercingly, for my longing only grows stronger.
Commentary: Book Eight Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1419

Headnote: "A poem by Princess Kagami"
Addressing the calling bird that cries in the sacred grove of Iwase, the poet asks it not to sing, since its voice only deepens her longing. She lays her own yearning for someone she cannot meet over the name of a bird said to cry as if calling to people.
The author, Princess Kagami, is said to have been favored by Emperor Tenji and later to have become the principal wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari. Some consider her the elder sister of Princess Nukata.

The first line, "kamunabi," refers to a wood or mountain where a god descends and dwells, marking the grove of Iwase as a sacred place.
The second line names the grove of Iwase, thought to lie near present-day Ikaruga in Nara. The opening two lines match those of 1466 in this book, where a cuckoo is sung instead of a calling bird; 1470 likewise speaks of "the cuckoo of the grove of Iwase," so poems on the birds of this same grove recur through the book.
The third line, "yobukodori," is a bird that seems to call to people, perhaps a kind of cuckoo. The "calling" in its name echoes a heart that calls for a lover.
The fourth line uses the prohibitive "na ... so," begging the bird not to cry so much, and the poem pauses here. The same line appears in 1465 and 1484 of this book.
The final line gives the reason: the bird's voice stirs up her love. The poem states this feeling plainly and briefly.
Author: Princess Kagami
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Iwabashiru tarumi no ue no sawarabi no moeizuru haru ni narinikeru kamo
Next Poem: Awayuki ka hadare ni furu to miru made ni nagarae chiru wa nani no hana zo mo