葦引の山郭公うちはへて
誰かまさると音をのみぞ鳴く
誰かまさると音をのみぞ鳴く
- Roma-ji
-
Ashihiki no yamahototogisu uchihaete tare ka masaru to ne o nomi zo naku
- English Translation
-
From the rugged hills,
the mountain cuckoo, on and on,
without end it seems,
as if to ask, who sings the best?
does nothing but cry aloud
- Meaning
- On and on the mountain cuckoo cries, nothing but crying, as if to ask who among them sings the best.
- Commentary
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Book Four Summer Poems 184
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The mountain cuckoo cries on and on, as if competing to see who sings best. Over its endless crying is also laid the figure of a person weeping on and on in brooding.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.
The first line, "Ashihiki no," is a pillow word modifying "yama," mountain.
The second line, "yamahototogisu," names the cuckoo in the mountains.
The third line, "uchihaete," means "on and on without break." 192 of this book also begins with "uchihaete," singing of the cicada crying the day away.
In the fourth line, "ka" is an interrogative particle: "asking who is best."
The last line, "ne o nomi zo naku," means "does nothing but cry," with the particle "zo" forming a kakarimusubi pattern with the attributive "naku." It shares this last line with 175 and 196 of this book.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Futaba yori waga shime yuishi nadeshiko no hana no sakari o hito ni orasu na
- Next Poem
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Tsurezure to nagamuru sora no hototogisu tou ni tsukete zo ne wa nakare keru