ひとりのみ恋ふれば苦し呼子鳥
声に鳴き出でて君に聞かせん
声に鳴き出でて君に聞かせん
- Roma-ji
-
Hitori nomi koureba kurushi yobukodori koe ni nakiidete kimi ni kikasen
- English Translation
-
To love all alone
is such a bitter thing—
like the calling bird
I'll cry out with my voice
and let you hear my love
- Meaning
- To love alone like this is painful. Like the calling bird, I will cry out aloud and let you hear me.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Love Poems II 690
Headnote: "He had set his heart on her, but had no way to approach her, and she seemed cold, so he sent this."
The poet says that loving alone is painful, and that like the calling bird he will cry out and let her hear. Having no means to court her and finding her cold, he can keep silent no longer and resolves to declare his love.
According to the headnote, he had set his heart on her but had no way to approach, and she seemed cold, so he sent this. 602 in this book also opens with "hitori nomi" and "omoeba kurushi," with a very similar upper verse.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.
The first line, "Hitori nomi," means "all by myself," the same words as the first line of 602 in this book.
The second line, "koureba kurushi," means "to long is painful," and the poem pauses here.
The third line, "yobukodori," is a bird said to call as if summoning someone, leading to "nakiidete" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "koe ni nakiidete," means "crying out aloud," layering the voicing of his love with the bird's call.
The last line, "kimi ni kikasen," means "I will let you hear," with "n" expressing intention.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
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