Hototogisu ima kinaki somu ayamegusa kazuraku made ni karuru hi arame ya

霍公鳥今来鳴きそむあやめぐさ
かづらくまでに離るる日あらめや

Roma-ji: Hototogisu ima kinaki somu ayamegusa kazuraku made ni karuru hi arame ya
English Translation: The little cuckoo
has begun to come and sing—
until the iris
is twined into our hair,
could there be a day it stays away?
Meaning: The cuckoo has just begun to come and sing—surely there will be no day it stays away until we wear iris in our hair for the festival.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4175

Headnote: "Two poems on the cuckoo"
With joy that the cuckoo has begun to sing, the poet says that there will surely be no day when the bird stays away until the festival of the fifth day of the fifth month, when people wear iris in their hair.
The text carries an original note, "the three words mo, no, and ha are omitted," showing that this was a word game of composing without the particles "mo," "no," and "wa." It reveals Yakamochi's skill in creating a natural poem within verbal constraints.
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, "hototogisu" (the cuckoo), sets the subject at the head, naming it without a particle.
Second line, "ima kinaki somu" (now begins to come and sing): "somu" means to begin, showing the cuckoo has just started singing; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "ayamegusa" (the iris), refers to the sweet flag worn in the hair at the festival of the fifth day of the fifth month, marking the time.
Fourth line, "kazuraku made ni" (until we wear it in our hair): "kazuraku" means to wear as a hair ornament, indicating the span up to the festival.
Fifth line, "karuru hi arame ya" (will there be a day it stays away?): "karu" means to draw away, and "ya" is rhetorical, closing with the firm assertion that there will be no such day.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Haru no uchi no tanoshiki oe wa ume no hana taori okitsutsu asobu ni arubeshi
Next Poem: Waga kado yu naki sugiwataru hototogisu iya natsukashiku kikedo akitarazu