Hibari agaru haru e to saya ni narinureba miyako mo miezu kasumi tanabiku

ひばり上がる春へとさやになりぬれば
都も見えず霞たなびく

Roma-ji: Hibari agaru haru e to saya ni narinureba miyako mo miezu kasumi tanabiku
English Translation: Now it has become
clearly springtime when the larks
soar into the sky,
and I cannot see the capital
for the haze that trails and drifts
Meaning: Now that it has truly turned to spring, when larks rise into the sky, the haze trails across so that I cannot even see the capital.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4434

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the third day of the third month, the imperial envoys inspecting the frontier guards and the officials of the Ministry of Military Affairs gathered for a banquet and composed poems; three poems."
Now that it is truly spring when larks soar, the haze trails so that I cannot see the capital: the poem answers the envoy's longing for the capital. The left note attributes it to Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Junior Assistant Minister and envoy of the Ministry of Military Affairs. Answering the wish to fly to the capital as a lark, he replies that it is hidden by haze, sharing the longing for home.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, son of Ōtomo no Tabito, was at this time Junior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs.

The first line, "hibari agaru," hypermetric, recasts and takes up "a lark that soars" from the preceding poem.
The second line, "haru e to saya ni," means "clearly into spring," marking the turn of the season.
The third line, "narinureba," "since it has become so," states a fact.
The fourth line, "miyako mo miezu," takes up "going to the capital" in the preceding poem, lamenting the distance that keeps it out of sight.
The closing line, "kasumi tanabiku," "the haze trails," ends with the spring scene that hides the capital.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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