Waga yado no hanatachibana ni hototogisu ima koso nakame tomo ni aeru toki

我が宿の花橘に霍公鳥
今こそ鳴かめ友に逢へる時

Roma-ji: Waga yado no hanatachibana ni hototogisu ima koso nakame tomo ni aeru toki
English Translation: In my garden here
to the orange tree in flower,
O cuckoo, you bird,
now of all times you should sing,
now, when I am with my friends
Meaning: Come to the orange blossoms in my garden, O cuckoo, and sing now of all times, while I am here with my friends.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1481

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems by Ōtomo no Fumimochi"
The poet calls on the cuckoo to come to the orange blossoms in his garden and sing now, while he is with his friends. One senses the joy of a gathering that wishes for the bird's voice and the flowers to grace the company of friends.
The author, Ōtomo no Fumimochi, was a son of Ōtomo no Tabito and a younger brother of Yakamochi. He died young.

The first line names his own garden; like the preceding poem, it is set at home.
The second line names the orange tree in flower, which with the cuckoo adorns early summer.
The third line is an address.
The fourth line closes in "me," the perfective form of the conjectural "mu," answering "koso," and insists that now is the time to sing. The poem pauses here.
The final line names, by inversion, the moment when he wants it to sing. While the preceding poem named a beautiful moonlit night, this one names a time spent with friends, so the two poems give different moments for the song.
Author: Ōtomo no Fumimochi
Source: Manyoshu
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