Tsumitamuru koto no kataki wa uguisu no koe suru nobe no wakana narikeri - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

摘みたむることのかたきは鶯の
声する野辺の若菜なりけり

Roma-ji: Tsumitamuru koto no kataki wa uguisu no koe suru nobe no wakana narikeri
English Translation: What is hard to pick
and gather into a heap
is the young greens found
in the meadows where we hear
the warbler's singing voice.
Meaning: What is hard to gather are the young greens of fields where the warbler is singing.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems 26

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Listening raptly to the warbler's song, one's hands slow down, so the young greens of a field where the warbler sings are hard to gather. The poem combines two pleasures of spring, picking young greens and hearing the warbler.

First line, "tsumitamuru," means to pick and gather.
Second line, "koto no kataki wa," means "what is hard," holding back the answer until the final line like a riddle.
Third line, "uguisu no," brings in the warbler as what hinders the gathering.
Fourth line, "koe suru nobe no," means "of the fields where its voice is heard."
Final line, "wakana narikeri," is the same final line as poem 20 of this book, with "keri" expressing discovery.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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