Tsubame kuru toki ni narinu to karigane wa kuni shinoitsutsu kumogakuri naku

燕来る時になりぬと雁がねは
国偲ひつつ雲隠り鳴く

Roma-ji: Tsubame kuru toki ni narinu to karigane wa kuni shinoitsutsu kumogakuri naku
English Translation: Now that the time has come
when the swallows arrive here,
the wild geese, longing
for the homeland they left,
cry hidden in the clouds
Meaning: Knowing the season has come when swallows arrive, the wild geese cry as they vanish into the clouds, longing for their homeland.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4144

Headnote: "Two poems on seeing the returning wild geese"
As if trading places with the swallows that arrive in this season, the wild geese head back north, crying in the clouds as they long for their homeland. The poet's own homesickness, living in Etchū far from the capital, is laid over the image of the returning geese.
This is said to be the only poem in the Man'yōshū that mentions swallows, and it is fresh in capturing the exchange of migrating birds—swallows coming in spring as the geese depart.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "tsubame kuru" (when swallows come), marks the height of spring, when swallows arrive from the south.
Second line, "toki ni narinu to" (the time has come): the auxiliary "nu" marks completion, personifying the geese as though they think the moment has finally arrived.
Third line, "karigane wa" (the wild geese): "karigane" originally meant the cry of geese and came to mean the birds themselves.
Fourth line, "kuni shinoitsutsu" (longing for their homeland): "tsutsu" expresses continuation, and the poet's homesickness is entrusted to the geese.
Fifth line, "kumogakuri naku" (they cry hidden in the clouds), leaves only their voices audible as they vanish, a lingering note of loneliness.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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