橘の花散る里の霍公鳥
片恋しつつ鳴く日しぞ多き
片恋しつつ鳴く日しぞ多き
- Roma-ji
-
Tachibana no hana chiru sato no hototogisu katakoi shitsutsu naku hi shi zo ōki
- English Translation
-
Where the orange trees'
flowers scatter in the village,
the cuckoo, you bird,
in a love without return
spends so many days in tears
- Meaning
- In the village where the orange blossoms fall, the cuckoo spends many days crying in a love that goes unanswered.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1473
Headnote: "A poem in reply by Lord Ōtomo, Governor-General of Dazaifu"
Answering Isonokami no Katsuo's poem, Tabito sings that the cuckoo of the village where the orange blossoms fall spends many days crying in unrequited love. In the cuckoo that goes on crying for the fallen blossoms, he lays his own grief of longing for his dead wife.
The author, Ōtomo no Tabito, was a son of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and the father of Yakamochi. He was posted to Tsukushi as Governor-General of Dazaifu and later rose to Major Counselor.
The first line names the tachibana orange, which bears white flowers in early summer. Taking up the deutzia of the preceding poem, it too sings of a white flower of early summer.
The second line, "the village where the flowers fall," shows that the flowers' peak has passed and hints at longing for what is lost.
The third line takes up the same bird as the preceding poem and lays his own figure upon it.
The fourth line, "loving on in vain," suggests that the one who might answer is no more.
The final line closes in the attributive "ōki," answering the emphatic "shi" and "zo," and states forcefully how many days are spent in weeping.
- Author
- Ōtomo no Tabito
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Ima mo kamo ōki no yama ni hototogisu naki toyomuramu ware nakeredomo