Hototogisu koko ni chikaku o kinakite yo suginamu nochi ni shirushi arame ya mo

霍公鳥ここに近くを来鳴きてよ
過ぎなむ後に験あらめやも

Roma-ji: Hototogisu koko ni chikaku o kinakite yo suginamu nochi ni shirushi arame ya mo
English Translation: Hototogisu,
come and sing here close to us,
near us, sing away!
After the season has passed
what good would your singing be?
Meaning: Hototogisu, come close and sing here! Once your season has passed, what use would there be in your song?
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4438

Headnote: "A poem presented by Satsu no Myōkan in reply, in response to the command."
Hototogisu, come close and sing here; once your season has passed, what use would it be? The poem answers the former retired sovereign's poem. According to the left note, it is one of the four poems recited by Ōhara no Imaki. Where the sovereign wished the bird would sing on, Myōkan urges it to sing close by now, drawing near to the sovereign's feelings.
The author, Satsu no Myōkan, was a lady-in-waiting who served the retired Empress Genshō, holding the rank of myōbu.

The first line, "hototogisu," is the same as that of the preceding poem, answering the sovereign's verse.
The second line, "koko ni chikaku o," "close by here," points to the sovereign's side.
The third line, "kinakite yo," "come and sing," calls to the bird. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "suginamu nochi ni," means "after the season has passed."
The closing line, "shirushi arame ya mo," uses meyamo as a rhetorical question: what good would it do? None.
Author: Satsu no Myōkan
Source: Manyoshu
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