Yūzukuyo Irusa no yama no kogakure ni honoka ni mo naku hototogisu kana - Senzai Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夕月夜いるさの山の木隠れに
ほのかにも鳴く時鳥かな

Roma-ji: Yūzukuyo Irusa no yama no kogakure ni honoka ni mo naku hototogisu kana
English Translation: Where the evening moon
sinks behind Irusa's slopes,
hidden in the trees,
how faintly it is singing,
the cuckoo in the dusk
Meaning: Hidden in the trees of Mount Irusa, where the evening moon sinks, how faintly the cuckoo is singing.
Commentary: Book Three Summer Poems 163

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed as a poem on the cuckoo"
Like the preceding poem, this was composed on the topic of "the cuckoo." Hidden in the shade of trees on Mount Irusa, where the evening moon is sinking, the cuckoo sings faintly. Pivoting on "irusa," which contains "iru," the moon setting, the poem overlays the fading light of the evening moon with a faint voice from among the trees, conveying the hazy mood of a summer evening.
The author, "Provisional Major Counselor Muneie," is Fujiwara no Muneie, son of Palace Minister Fujiwara no Muneyoshi, who rose to Provisional Major Counselor. He excelled in kagura and the shō.

First line, "yūzukuyo": the moon that rises in the evening. Poem 140 of this book opens with the same word, depicting evening moonlight.
Second line, "Irusa no yama no": "irusa" is a pivot word for Mount Irusa, a poetic place in Tajima, and "iru," the moon setting.
Third line, "kogakure ni": "hidden among the trees."
Fourth line, "honoka ni mo naku": "singing faintly." "Honoka ni zo suru" in 150 of this book also depicts the cuckoo's faint voice.
Fifth line, "hototogisu kana": the exclamatory "kana," naming the subject only at the close.
Author: Fujiwara no Muneie
Source: Senzai Wakashu
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