Choku nareba ito mo kashikoshi uguisu no yado wa to towaba ikaga kotaemu - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

勅なればいともかしこし鶯の
宿はと問はばいかが答へむ

Roma-ji: Choku nareba ito mo kashikoshi uguisu no yado wa to towaba ikaga kotaemu
English Translation: Since it is a command,
I hold it in deepest awe;
but if the warbler
asks me, "Where is now my home?"
how am I to give reply?
Meaning: Since it is the emperor's command, I receive it in deepest awe and offer up the tree; but if the bush warbler should ask, "Where is my home?" how am I to answer?
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 531

Headnote: "When the palace had a red plum tree at someone's house dug up, a bush warbler had built its nest in it, so the woman of the house first had this presented to the emperor"
The poet says that since it is the emperor's command she will humbly offer the plum, but if the bush warbler asks where its home has gone, how is she to answer? The headnote shows that when, by order of the palace, a red plum at a certain house was to be dug up, a bush warbler had nested in it, and the mistress of the house first had this poem presented to the emperor. A note after the headnote says that "because she had this presented, it was not dug up," recording that the poem led to the tree being spared. While showing obedience to the command, it conveys her regret for the plum by speaking on behalf of the warbler.
This story is handed down in the Ōkagami as the tale of the "plum where the warbler lodges," where it is set in the time of Emperor Murakami and the mistress of the house is said to be a daughter of Ki no Tsurayuki.

First line, "choku nareba," means "since it is a command," with "ba" after the perfective form expressing cause.
Second line, "ito mo kashikoshi," means "it is most awe-inspiring," and the poem breaks after this second line. It shows her reverent acceptance of the command.
Third line, "uguisu no," means "the bush warbler," pointing to the warbler that nested in the red plum of the headnote.
Fourth line, "yado wa to towaba," means "if it asks where its home is," with "ba" after the irrealis form expressing supposition.
Final line, "ikaga kotaemu," means "how shall I answer," with "mu" an auxiliary of conjecture. Like the fourth line of 512 in this book, "ikaga sadamemu," it responds to the emperor's words in the form of being at a loss for an answer.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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