Hototogisu kinaki toyomosu tachibana no hana chiru niwa o mimu hito ya tare

霍公鳥来鳴き響もす橘の
花散る庭を見む人や誰れ

Roma-ji: Hototogisu kinaki toyomosu tachibana no hana chiru niwa o mimu hito ya tare
English Translation: Hototogisu
comes and sings and makes it ring;
orange tree blossoms
in the garden scattering—
who will be the one to see?
Meaning: The hototogisu comes and fills the air with song, and the tachibana blossoms scatter in the garden—who will there be to see it?
Commentary: Book Ten Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1968

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Flowers"
This poem asks who will be there to see the garden where tachibana blossoms fall amid the singing of the hototogisu. Gazing at a beautiful summer garden, it shows the loneliness of having no one to share the scene. Like "mimu hito mo ga mo" in 1866 of the spring poems and 1943 of the summer poems, it shows a longing for someone to share a beautiful scene.

The first line, "hototogisu," is the subject.
The second line, "comes and makes it ring," describes the bird's song.
The third line, "of the tachibana," leads into "blossoms."
The fourth line, "the garden where the blossoms fall," shares its scene with 1950, where the bird's song scatters the tachibana.
In the last line, "mimu hito ya tare," "ya" is an interrogative particle, asking who will see it and closing with the loneliness of having no one.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kaguwashiki hanatachibana o tama ni nuki okuramu imo wa mitsurete mo aru ka
Next Poem: Waga yado no hanatachibana wa chirinikeri kuyashiki toki ni aeru kimi ka mo