Hototogisu itaku na nakiso hitori ite i no neraenu ni kikeba kurushi mo

霍公鳥いたくな鳴きそひとり居て
寐の寝らえぬに聞けば苦しも

Roma-ji: Hototogisu itaku na nakiso hitori ite i no neraenu ni kikeba kurushi mo
English Translation: O cuckoo, you bird,
do not cry so piercingly:
sitting all alone,
unable to fall asleep,
it pains me so to hear you
Meaning: O cuckoo, do not cry so much; alone and unable to sleep, it pains me to hear you.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1484

Headnote: "A poem by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
On a night when she lies alone unable to sleep, the cuckoo's cry sounds all the more painful, and she begs it not to cry so much. The loneliness of sleeping alone and the cuckoo's voice overlap, expressing the pain of longing for someone dear.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and a half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She was the aunt of Ōtomo no Yakamochi and later also his mother-in-law, and she left many poems in the Man'yōshū.

The first line is an address to the cuckoo.
The second line uses the prohibitive "na ... so," begging it not to cry so much, and the poem pauses here. The same line appears in 1419 and 1465 of this book, so poems asking a bird not to cry so much are placed in both spring and summer.
The third line, "sitting alone," is the same as in 1476 of this book. That poem finds comfort in the bird's heart, while this one suffers from its voice, so the same solitude is received in contrasting ways.
The fourth line is the negative of the potential "rayu," meaning "though I cannot sleep."
The final line gives the reason: it is painful to hear. The same final line appears in 1467 of this book.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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