Uguisu wa ware o sumori ni tanomite ya tani no okabe wa idete nakuramu

鶯は我を巣守に頼みてや
谷の岡辺は出でて鳴くらむ

Roma-ji: Uguisu wa ware o sumori ni tanomite ya tani no okabe wa idete nakuramu
English Translation: Does the warbler, then,
trusting me to keep its nest
while it is away,
leave the hillside of the vale
and go elsewhere with its song?
Meaning: Has the warbler left me in charge of its nest, and gone off from the valley slopes to sing elsewhere?
Commentary: Spring Poems 29

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "When the warbler's voice was no longer heard in the valley where I lived"
This is the third poem in the sequence. The poet surmises that the warbler has fallen silent in the valley because it is counting on him to mind its nest while it goes off from the valley slopes to sing somewhere else.
There is humour in casting himself as the warbler's nest-keeper. Rather than lamenting its absence, the poet softens his loneliness by imagining their bond as one of friendly mutual trust.

First line, “uguisu wa”: again singling out the valley warbler, continuing from the preceding poem.
Second line, “ware o sumori ni”: making me the keeper of its nest.
Third line, “tanomite ya”: relying on me; the interrogative ya forms a kakari-musubi with ramu in the fifth line.
Fourth line, “tani no okabe wa”: the slopes beside the valley.
Fifth line, “idete nakuramu”: has it gone off to sing elsewhere, closing with the conjectural ramu.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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