Hototogisu akatsukigata no hitokoe wa uki yo no naka o sugusu narikeri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

郭公暁がたの一声は
憂き世の中を過ぐすなりけり

Roma-ji: Hototogisu akatsukigata no hitokoe wa uki yo no naka o sugusu narikeri
English Translation: The little cuckoo,
in the darkness before dawn,
just a single call—
through this weary world of ours
it is what carries me along
Meaning: The cuckoo's single call in the dark before dawn is what carries me through this weary world.
Commentary: Book Four Summer Poems 197

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The cuckoo's single call before dawn, the poet says, is what lets him get through this weary world. In that one call heard before daybreak he finds solace for living in a sorrowful world.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us. The text gives the author as "yomibito mo," but it is treated here as anonymous.

The first line, "Hototogisu," places the cuckoo as a bird that sings at dawn. 191 of this book also begins with "hototogisu" and sings of "hitokoe" and "akatsukigata."
The second line, "akatsukigata no," means "before dawn," sharing the same word with 170 and 191 of this book.
The third line, "hitokoe wa," means "a single call," showing how slight the voice is.
The fourth line, "uki yo no naka o," means "through this weary world."
The last line, "sugusu narikeri," means "is what I pass my days by," with "keri" expressing a sigh of realization. The last line of 212 in this book, "sugusu nomi nari," also uses "sugusu."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Ikaga semu Ogura no yama no hototogisu obotsukanashi to ne o nomi zo naku
Next Poem: Hito shirezu waga shimeshi no no tokonatsu wa hana sakinu beki toki zo kinikeru