毎年に来鳴くものゆゑ霍公鳥
聞けば偲はく逢はぬ日を多み
聞けば偲はく逢はぬ日を多み
- Roma-ji
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Toshi no ha ni kinaku mono yue hototogisu kikeba shinowaku awanu hi o ōmi
- English Translation
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Every single year
since it comes here and sings,
the little cuckoo—
when I hear it, how I long,
so many days we were apart
- Meaning
- Because the cuckoo comes and sings every year, hearing it fills me with longing—so many were the days I went without it.
- Commentary
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Book Nineteen 4168
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem on the cuckoo and the flowers of the season, with short poems"; envoys, two poems
The second envoy to the long poem, it says that because the cuckoo comes and sings every year without fail, hearing its voice makes the poet feel the length of the year he went without it, and he is filled with fond longing. While the preceding poem took up the flowers, this one takes up the cuckoo portion of the long poem.
The text carries an original note, "'every year' is read toshi no ha," indicating how the word should be read. The left note says, "The above were composed in advance on the twentieth, on impulse, though the season had not yet come," telling us they were written on the twentieth of the third month ahead of the season.
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, "toshi no ha ni" (every year), shows the cuckoo's unchanging visits.
Second line, "kinaku mono yue" (because it comes and sings): "mono yue" expresses cause, meaning "since it comes and sings every year."
Third line, "hototogisu" (the cuckoo), sets the name of the bird at the heart of the poem in the central line.
Fourth line, "kikeba shinowaku" (hearing it, I long): "shinowaku" means to be filled with fond longing, as nostalgia wells up on hearing its voice.
Fifth line, "awanu hi o ōmi" (the days without meeting being many): the "o ... mi" construction expresses cause, explaining the fourth line in inverted order and closing the poem.
- Author
- Otomo no Yakamochi
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Toki goto ni iya mezurashiku saku hana o ori mo orazu mo miraku shi yoshi mo
- Next Poem
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Shiratama no migahoshi kimi o mizu hisa ni hina ni shi oreba ikeru to mo nashi