Unohana no sakichiru oka yu hototogisu nakite sawataru kimi wa kikitsu ya

卯の花の咲き散る岡ゆ霍公鳥
鳴きてさ渡る君は聞きつや

Roma-ji: Unohana no sakichiru oka yu hototogisu nakite sawataru kimi wa kikitsu ya
English Translation: Where unohana
bloom and scatter on the hill,
hototogisu
crosses, singing as it goes—
did you hear it too, my dear?
Meaning: Across the hill where the deutzia blossoms bloom and scatter, the hototogisu passes, singing—did you hear it?
Commentary: Book Ten Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1976

Headnote: "Poems in Dialogue"
This poem asks whether the other person also heard the hototogisu singing across the hill where the deutzia blooms and scatters, and its headnote is "Poems in Dialogue." It forms an exchange with the next poem, 1977, as the two speak of the same bird's voice. It shares the feeling of 1949, which wondered whether the beloved had heard the hototogisu.

The first line, "of the deutzia," names the white flower of early summer.
In the second line, "sakichiru oka yu," "yu" marks the route: by way of the hill.
The third line, "hototogisu," is the subject.
In the fourth line, "nakite sawataru," "sa" is a prefix; it is the same line as in 1960, and the poem breaks here.
In the last line, "kimi wa kikitsu ya," "tsu" marks completion and "ya" a question, closing with a question to the other that leads into the next poem's answer.
Source: Manyoshu
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