Futakoe to kiku to wa nashi ni hototogisu yobukaku me o mo samashitsuru kana - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

二声と聞くとはなしに郭公
夜深く目をも覚ましつるかな

Roma-ji: Futakoe to kiku to wa nashi ni hototogisu yobukaku me o mo samashitsuru kana
English Translation: Though I did not hear
as much as two notes of its song,
the cuckoo has come,
and deep in the night, my eyes
it has wakened, I find
Meaning: Though I heard no more than a note or two, the cuckoo has woken me deep in the night.
Commentary: Book Four Summer Poems 172

Headnote: "Sent the next morning to one who, on a summer night, had talked with her a while and then gone home."
Though she did not hear even two calls in a row, the cuckoo's voice woke her deep in the night. Likening the visitor who talked only briefly and left to a cuckoo that sings once and is gone, she conveys both lingering longing and a sense of something left unfulfilled.
According to the headnote, it was sent the next morning to someone who had talked with her for a while on a summer night and then gone home.
The poet, Ise, was the daughter of Fujiwara no Tsugukage, governor of Ise, and served Empress Onshi, consort of Emperor Uda. She won Emperor Uda's favor and later bore Nakatsukasa to Prince Atsuyoshi. She is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Futakoe to," means "two calls in a row," showing how little the cuckoo sang. 178 of this book also has "tada futakoe mo," sharing the conceit of treasuring a few brief calls.
The second line, "kiku to wa nashi ni," means "though I did not quite hear."
The third line, "hototogisu," likens the visitor who talked a while and left to a cuckoo that sings briefly and departs.
The fourth line, "yobukaku me o mo," means "even my eyes, deep in the night," with "mo" adding emphasis.
The last line, "samashitsuru kana," means "it has woken me," with "tsuru" marking completion and "kana" a sigh. It hints that his visit stirred her heart and left her sleepless.
Author: Ise
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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