Higurashi no koe kiku yama no chikakere ya nakitsuru nae ni irihi sasuran - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ひぐらしの声聞く山の近けれや
鳴きつるなへに入り日さすらん

Roma-ji: Higurashi no koe kiku yama no chikakere ya nakitsuru nae ni irihi sasuran
English Translation: Is it because near
is the mountain where I hear
the evening cicadas,
that just as they have cried out
the setting sun shines in
Meaning: Is it because the mountain where I hear the evening cicadas is so near, that the setting sun shines in just as they cry?
Commentary: Book Five Autumn Poems I 254

Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet wonders whether it is because the mountain where he hears the evening cicadas is near that the setting sun shines in as soon as they cry. Echoing "hi gurashi," the day's closing, in the name of the cicada, it wittily catches the day darkening along with their cry.
From 254 to 261, this book sets eight untitled poems by Ki no Tsurayuki in a row, turning in order to the voices of autumn insects: the evening cicada, the cricket, and the pine cricket.
The poet, called "Tsurayuki," is Ki no Tsurayuki. A son of Ki no Mochiyuki, he was the leading compiler of the Kokin Wakashū and wrote its kana preface. He served as governor of Tosa among other posts, is known as the author of the Tosa Diary, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.

The first line, "Higurashi no," means "of the evening cicada," its name echoing "hi gurashi," the day's closing. It takes up "higurashi no koe," the last line of the preceding poem.
The second line, "koe kiku yama no," means "of the mountain where I hear its voice."
The third line, "chikakere ya," is equivalent to "chikakereba ya," with "ya" an interrogative particle: "is it because it is near?" The poem pauses here.
In the fourth line, "nae ni" means "together with," using the same word as "fuku nae ni" in the preceding poem, 253.
In the last line, "ran" is the attributive form of an auxiliary conjecturing a cause, completing the kakarimusubi pattern with "ya" in the third line: "that must be why the setting sun shines in."
Author: Ki no Tsurayuki
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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