Unohana no saku tsuki tachinu hototogisu ki naki toyome yo fufumitari tomo

卯の花の咲く月立ちぬ霍公鳥
来鳴き響めよ含みたりとも

Roma-ji: Unohana no saku tsuki tachinu hototogisu ki naki toyome yo fufumitari tomo
English Translation: The month has begun
when the deutzia blossoms bloom—
hototogisu,
come and fill the air with song,
though the buds have not yet burst.
Meaning: The month when the deutzia flowers bloom has begun. O cuckoo, come and make your song ring out, even if the buds have not yet opened.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4066

Headnote: "Four poems from a banquet at the residence of the secretary Kume no Ason Hironawa on the first day of the fourth month."
The poet announces that the fourth month, when the deutzia blooms, has come, and calls on the cuckoo to come and sing even though the flowers are still in bud. At the start of a banquet on the first of the fourth month, he greets the coming of summer and his eagerness for the cuckoo, inviting the company's delight.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
This is a poem from a banquet held at the residence of the secretary Kume no Hironawa on the first day of the fourth month of 748. The left note reads, "The poem above was composed by the governor, Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi."

First line, "unohana no": "unohana" is the deutzia blossom, the representative flower of the fourth lunar month, often paired with the cuckoo.
Second line, "saku tsuki tachinu": "tsuki tatsu" means the beginning of a new month. It announces the arrival of the fourth month, and the poem pauses after the second line.
Third line, "hototogisu": he calls anew, with the arrival of summer, to the cuckoo that did not sing at the banquets for Sakimaro in the third month.
Fourth line, "ki naki toyome yo": an imperative calling to the cuckoo. Where "ki naki toyomeba" in 4051 was a supposition, here it becomes a command.
Last line, "fufumitari tomo": "fufumu" means to be in bud. "Tomo" is concessive, "even if the deutzia is still in bud."
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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