Ume ga ka ni taguete kikeba uguisu no koe natsukashiki haru no yamazato

梅が香にたぐへて聞けば鶯の
声なつかしき春の山里

Roma-ji: Ume ga ka ni taguete kikeba uguisu no koe natsukashiki haru no yamazato
English Translation: Joined with the plum scent,
when I hear it, how the voice
of the warbler sings
so dear to me in this place,
the village in the hills in spring.
Meaning: Heard together with the fragrance of the plum, how dear the warbler's voice sounds here in the mountain village in spring.
Commentary: Spring Poems 41

Headnote: "When a warbler sang in the plum tree"
This poem was composed when a warbler sang in the plum tree. Heard along with the scent of plum, the warbler's song becomes all the more endearing, capturing the charm of a mountain village in spring.
The classic pairing of plum and warbler is portrayed through the overlap of scent and sound. The last line haru no yamazato is the same as in 25; there the warbler's voice seeped through the haze, while here it comes joined with the fragrance of plum.

First line, “ume ga ka ni”: with the scent of the plum.
Second line, “taguete kikeba”: tagu means to accompany, so when I hear it together with the plum scent.
Third line, “uguisu no”: of the warbler, leading into koe in the fourth line.
Fourth line, “koe natsukashiki”: whose voice is so endearing.
Fifth line, “haru no yamazato”: closing on a noun, the same last line as 25, showing a village filled with scent and song.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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