Hototogisu kaitōseraba kotoshi hete kimukau natsu wa mazu nakinamu o

霍公鳥飼ひ通せらば今年経て
来向ふ夏はまづ鳴きなむを

Roma-ji: Hototogisu kaitōseraba kotoshi hete kimukau natsu wa mazu nakinamu o
English Translation: Little cuckoo,
if I could keep you all year,
this year passing by,
in the summer that comes round
you would surely sing here first
Meaning: Little cuckoo, if only I could keep you all year round, then when this year has passed and summer comes again, you would surely sing here before anywhere else.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4183

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem expressing my feelings, moved that I never tire of the cuckoo, with short poems"; envoys, three poems
The third envoy, it says that if the poet could keep the cuckoo all year round, then next summer it would sing first of all at his house. Advancing the idea of catching and taming the bird from the preceding poem, he imagines as far ahead as next year's first song.
In dreaming of a first song a year away, both endless devotion to the cuckoo and the loneliness of knowing the wish cannot come true seep through.
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), again places at the head the name shared by all three envoys, unifying the sequence.
Second line, "kaitōseraba" (if I could keep it through): "kaitōsu" means to keep for a long time, and "ba" marks a hypothetical, taking up "let me tame it" from the preceding poem.
Third line, "kotoshi hete" (this year having passed), extends the time a year ahead.
Fourth line, "kimukau natsu wa" (in the summer that comes round): "kimukau" means to come around, indicating next summer.
Fifth line, "mazu nakinamu o" (it would surely sing first): "namu" is strong conjecture, and "o" is concessive with a note of emotion, closing with an unfulfillable wish.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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