Waga seko ga yado no tachibana hana o yomi naku hototogisu mi ni zo waga koshi

我が背子が宿の橘花をよみ
鳴く霍公鳥見にぞ我が来し

Roma-ji: Waga seko ga yado no tachibana hana o yomi naku hototogisu mi ni zo waga koshi
English Translation: At my dear friend's house
the orange trees in your garden,
their blossoms so fine,
and the cuckoo singing there:
it is to see these I came
Meaning: Because the orange blossoms in your garden are so lovely, I have come to see the cuckoo that sings among them.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1483

Headnote: "A poem by Ominokimi no Morotachi"
The poet says he has come to see the cuckoo that sings among the orange blossoms, because the flowers in his friend's garden are so fine. It is read as a greeting in which a guest invited to a banquet praises the beauty of his host's garden.
The author, Ominokimi no Morotachi, is thought to have lived in the Nara period, but little is known of him.

The first line, "waga seko," here fondly addresses the host of the banquet.
The second line names the orange tree in the host's garden.
The third line, in the pattern "... o ... mi," means "because the blossoms are lovely."
The fourth line names the cuckoo drawn to the orange blossoms to sing. While 1481 of this book invites the cuckoo to the poet's own orange tree, this one praises, as a guest, the orange tree and cuckoo of another's house, so poems from the side of host and guest stand together.
The final line forms a kakari-musubi between "zo" and "shi," the attributive of the past "ki," stressing that he came expressly to see them and showing respect for the host.
Author: Ominokimi no Morotachi
Source: Manyoshu
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