Kawasu ni mo yuki wa furereshi miya no uchi ni chidori nakurashi imu tokoro nami

川洲にも雪は降れれし宮の内に
千鳥鳴くらし居む所なみ

Roma-ji: Kawasu ni mo yuki wa furereshi miya no uchi ni chidori nakurashi imu tokoro nami
English Translation: On the river sands
the snow must have fallen too—
within the palace
the plovers seem to be crying,
having nowhere else to stay
Meaning: Snow must be lying on the river sandbars too—for the plovers seem to be crying here within the palace, having nowhere else to stay.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4288

Headnote: "A poem composed on the twelfth day, on hearing plovers cry while in attendance at the palace"
Composed the day after the heavy snow, on hearing plovers cry while in attendance at the palace, it reasons that snow must lie on the river sandbars too; having nowhere to stay, the plovers seem to have come to the palace to cry.
From the oddity of plovers, river birds, crying at court, the poet imagines the extent of the snowfall—a reflective poem. In contrast to the plover poem 4146 in this book, where the cry is heard on waking deep at night, here the voices are heard at the palace in daytime.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. Appointed Junior Counselor in 751, he returned from Etchū to the capital at Heijō-kyō, where he took part in court banquets as an official. He is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "kawasu ni mo" (on the river sandbars too): "kawasu" is a sandbar, the plovers' usual home.
Second line, "yuki wa furereshi" (snow must have fallen), infers that even the sandbars are snow-covered; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "miya no uchi ni" (within the palace), gives where the cry is heard.
Fourth line, "chidori nakurashi" (plovers seem to cry): "rashi" is an inference from evidence.
Fifth line, "imu tokoro nami" (having nowhere to stay): "mi" expresses cause, given last by inversion.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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