Waga kokoda shinowaku shirani hototogisu izuhe no yama o naki ka koyuramu

我がここだ偲はく知らに霍公鳥
いづへの山を鳴きか越ゆらむ

Roma-ji: Waga kokoda shinowaku shirani hototogisu izuhe no yama o naki ka koyuramu
English Translation: Not knowing how much
I have been longing for it,
the little cuckoo—
over which mountain, I wonder,
is it crossing as it sings?
Meaning: Never knowing how deeply I long for it, over which mountain, I wonder, is the cuckoo flying now as it sings?
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4195

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three more poems resenting the lateness of the cuckoo's song"
The second of the three, it wonders over which mountain the cuckoo is now flying as it sings, unaware of how much the poet longs for it. Following the lament of not hearing it in the preceding poem, it imagines the whereabouts of the unseen bird.
Singing of one-sided longing as if in a love poem, it reveals both the depth of his attachment to the cuckoo and the resentment of one who waits.
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, "waga kokoda" (so very much, I): "kokoda" means this much or so greatly, showing the depth of longing.
Second line, "shinowaku shirani" (not knowing how I long): "shinowaku" is longing, and "shirani" means without knowing, reproaching the bird for being unaware of his feelings.
Third line, "hototogisu" (the cuckoo), sets the name of the bird as the object of his longing, with a note of address.
Fourth line, "izuhe no yama o" (over which mountain): "izuhe" means whereabouts, posing the question of the bird's path.
Fifth line, "naki ka koyuramu" (is it crossing as it sings?): "ka" binds with the attributive "ramu," closing with a guess at where it might be crossing now.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Hototogisu nakiwatarinu to tsuguredomo ware kikitsugazu hana wa sugitsutsu
Next Poem: Tsuki tachishi hi yori okitsutsu uchishinoi matedo kinakanu hototogisu kamo