春さればまづ鳴く鳥の鴬の
言先立ちし君をし待たむ
言先立ちし君をし待たむ
- Roma-ji
-
Haru sareba mazu naku tori no uguisu no koto sakidachishi kimi o shi matamu
- English Translation
-
When the spring comes round,
first of all the birds to sing
is the warbler bird—
you who spoke first of your love,
you're the one I'll wait for now.
- Meaning
- Like the bush warbler, the first bird to sing when spring comes, you were the first to speak of your love—so it is you I will wait for.
- Commentary
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Book Ten Spring Love Poems 1935
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems in Dialogue"
This poem vows to wait for the one who first confessed his love, like the warbler that sings first when spring comes, and it is thought to answer 1934. Whereas the preceding poem lamented not being loved, this one replies that the speaker will wait for the one who spoke first, returning an answer of acceptance to a lament of one-sided love. The warbler that announced spring in the bird group of the miscellaneous poems here figures the one who first spoke of love.
The first line, "when spring comes," marks the season.
The second line, "the bird that sings first," names the bird that first announces spring.
The third line, "the warbler," with the upper lines forming a preface leading into "koto sakidachishi."
In the fourth line, "koto sakidachishi," spoke first, "shi" is the attributive of the past "ki," showing that he was the first to speak his feelings.
In the last line, "kimi o shi matamu," "shi" is emphatic and "mu" expresses intention, closing with the resolve to wait for him.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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