Aki no no no obana ga ure ni naku mozu no koe kikikemu ka katakike wagimo

秋の野の尾花が末に鳴くもずの
声聞きけむか片聞け我妹

Roma-ji: Aki no no no obana ga ure ni naku mozu no koe kikikemu ka katakike wagimo
English Translation: In the autumn fields
on the tips of pampas grass
the shrike is crying—
did you hear its voice, I wonder?
Lend an ear, my darling wife.
Meaning: Did you hear the shrike crying on the tips of the pampas grass in the autumn fields? Listen closely, my wife.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2167

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Birds"
This poem asks the speaker's wife whether she heard the shrike crying on the tips of the pampas grass in the autumn fields, and urges her to listen closely. It shows the intimacy of a couple wishing to hear the same bird together, and a heart that wants to share the mood of the autumn fields. It shares the feeling of 1949 in the summer poems, which wondered whether the beloved had heard the hototogisu.

The first line, "of the autumn fields," is hypermetric.
In the second line, "obana ga ure ni," "obana" means pampas plumes and "ure" their tips, words also seen in 2110.
The third line, "the shrike that cries," names the bird.
In the fourth line, "koe kikikemu ka," "kemu" is past conjecture and "ka" a question; the poem breaks here.
In the last line, "katakike wagimo," "katakiku" is taken to mean to listen closely, closing with the address "wagimo."
Source: Manyoshu
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