Waga kado ni chidori shiba naku okiyo okiyo waga hitoyozuma hito ni shirayu na

我が門に千鳥しば鳴く起きよ起きよ
我が一夜夫人に知らゆな

Roma-ji: Waga kado ni chidori shiba naku okiyo okiyo waga hitoyozuma hito ni shirayu na
English Translation: At my gate the birds,
the thousand birds keep crying—
wake up, oh, wake up,
my husband of a single night,
lest others learn of us!
Meaning: At my gate the birds keep crying—wake up, wake up, my husband of one night, before anyone finds out!
Commentary: Book Sixteen Poems with Tales of Origin and Miscellaneous Poems 3873

Headnote: none; the left note reads: "The above two poems."
As birds cry at the gate to herald dawn, the woman urges the man who spent the night with her to get up and leave before anyone finds out. Her voice hurrying him away at daybreak is captured with vivid life.
The left note records only "the above two poems" for this and the preceding poem; author and origin are unknown. It is thought to have been sung as a folk song.
The poet is not recorded.

First line, "waga kado ni," means "at my gate," taking up the scene of "waga kado no" in the preceding poem, 3872.
Second line, "chidori shiba naku," means "the birds keep crying," and the poem pauses here. Taking up the birds of the preceding poem, it turns from birds of a night of waiting to birds of a morning of parting.
Third line, "okiyo okiyo," means "wake up, wake up." Hypermetric at six syllables, the repeated imperative conveys urgency.
Fourth line, "waga hitoyozuma," means "my husband of one night."
Final line, "hito ni shirayu na," means "lest others know." Shirayu adds the passive yu to shiru, and na marks a prohibition. Against the preceding poem's lament for a lover who does not come, this one sends a lover hastily away, pairing the waiting woman with the woman who bids him go.
Source: Manyoshu
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