Tori no ko wa mada hina nagara tachite inu kai no miyuru wa sumori narikeri - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

鳥の子はまだ雛ながら立ちていぬ
かひのみゆるは巣守なりけり

Roma-ji: Tori no ko wa mada hina nagara tachite inu kai no miyuru wa sumori narikeri
English Translation: The young of the bird,
while they were still fledglings,
have flown and gone;
the egg that one still sees there
is the nest-keeper left behind.
Meaning: The young birds left while they were still fledglings; the egg still to be seen is one that never hatched and stayed behind in the nest.
Commentary: Book Seven Names of Things 383

Headnote: "Inukai no miyu (the hot spring of Inukai)"
The poet says the young birds left the nest while still fledglings, and the egg still seen there is one that never hatched. Singing of the nest after the young have flown, the poem hides the name of the hot spring of Inukai given in the headnote in the run of sounds "inu kai no miyu" from the third to the fourth line. The headnote names the thing hidden in the poem.

First line, "tori no ko wa," means "the young of the bird."
Second line, "mada hina nagara," means "while still fledglings."
Third line, "tachite inu," means "have flown and gone," and the poem pauses here. "Inu" forms the head of the name "inukai no miyu," spanning the upper and lower verses.
Fourth line, "kai no miyuru wa," means "the egg that is seen." 386 and 387 of this book also hide names of hot springs in the sound "miyu."
Final line, "sumori narikeri," means "is the egg left in the nest," with "keri" expressing realization. It echoes the warbler's nest without its master in 374 of this book, through a nest left behind.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Mi o sutete yama ni irinishi ware nareba kuma no kurawamu koto mo oboezu
Next Poem: Kuki mo ha mo mina midori naru fukazeri wa arau ne nomi ya shiroku miyu ran