Unohana no sugiba oshimi ka hototogisu amama mo okazu koyu nakiwataru

卯の花の過ぎば惜しみか霍公鳥
雨間も置かずこゆ鳴き渡る

Roma-ji: Unohana no sugiba oshimi ka hototogisu amama mo okazu koyu nakiwataru
English Translation: The deutzia flowers,
does it grieve that they will pass?
O cuckoo, you bird,
not waiting for the rain to break,
crossing over here in song
Meaning: Is it because it would grieve to see the deutzia pass? The cuckoo crosses over here singing, not even waiting for a break in the rain.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1491

Headnote: "A poem by Ōtomo no Yakamochi on hearing the cuckoo sing on a rainy day"
On a rainy day, hearing a cuckoo cross overhead singing without waiting for a break in the rain, the poet wonders whether it grieves that the deutzia will soon fall. In the bird singing as it flies through the rain, he finds a heart that regrets the passing season.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was a son of Ōtomo no Tabito and an official of the Nara period. He rose to the post of Middle Counselor, is thought to have been closely involved in compiling the Man'yōshū, and left more poems than anyone else in the anthology.

The first line names the deutzia, which bears white flowers in early summer.
The second line means "because it would grieve if they passed?" and guesses at the cuckoo's heart with the interrogative "ka." 1482 of this book sings that even when the deutzia falls, the poet will not forget the cuckoo, so the bird that grieves for the flowers and the person who will not forget the bird correspond.
The third line names the bird singing in the rain.
The fourth line means "without waiting for a break in the rain."
The final line means "crosses over here singing," the same line as in 1476 of this book.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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