Mezurashiki kimi ga kimasaba nake to iishi yama hototogisu nani ka ki nakanu

めづらしき君が来まさば鳴けと言ひし
山霍公鳥何か来鳴かぬ

Roma-ji: Mezurashiki kimi ga kimasaba nake to iishi yama hototogisu nani ka ki nakanu
English Translation: "When our rare guest
comes to us, you must sing!"—
so I told it, yet
why does the mountain cuckoo
not come to sing for us now?
Meaning: I told the mountain cuckoo to sing when our rare and honored guest arrived—so why does it not come and sing?
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4050

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems in which each expressed his feelings while sightseeing on reaching the lagoon."
The poet laments that the mountain cuckoo, which he had told to sing when the rare guest from the capital arrived, does not come to sing. Speaking as one of the hosts, he expresses frustration at not being able to let the guest hear the cuckoo, revealing his consideration for the visitor.
Kume no Hironawa was the secretary (jō) of Etchū province, a subordinate of Yakamochi who often joined the banquets and outings there. He exchanged poems on close terms with Yakamochi.
Yakamochi's worry in 4043, the day before, that the cuckoo might scatter the wisteria without singing, has come true, and this poem takes up that concern.

First line, "mezurashiki": "rare," "wonderful," praising Sakimaro, the guest from the capital.
Second line, "kimi ga kimasaba": "kimasu" is an honorific of "ku," "to come," and the irrealis plus "ba" makes a hypothetical condition. It shows respect for the guest.
Third line, "nake to iishi": the humorous claim that he had instructed the cuckoo to sing, a sign of the host's preparations.
Fourth line, "yama hototogisu": the cuckoo of the mountains. It answers the fear "kedashi ki nakazu" of 4043.
Last line, "nani ka ki nakanu": "nani ka" is interrogative, and the poem ends with "nu," the attributive form of the negative "zu." Later, in 4053, Hironawa again writes "nani ka ki nakanu," repeating his lament with the same last line.
Author: Kume no Hironawa
Source: Manyoshu
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