Shirakawa no haru no kozue no uguisu wa hana no kotoba o kiku kokochi suru

白川の春の梢の鶯は
花の言葉を聞く心地する

Roma-ji: Shirakawa no haru no kozue no uguisu wa hana no kotoba o kiku kokochi suru
English Translation: In Shirakawa,
on the treetops in the spring,
the warbler's singing:
I feel as if I were hearing
the words the flowers speak.
Meaning: The warbler singing in the springtime treetops of Shirakawa makes me feel I am hearing the very words of the blossoms.
Commentary: Spring Poems 70

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "When composing many poems on cherry blossoms"
The poet hears the warbler singing in the cherry treetops of Shirakawa as if he were hearing the words the blossoms speak. The bird perched on the flowering branch seems to voice the feelings of blossoms that have no words of their own.
The first line Shirakawa no is the same as in the preceding poem; there the poet found comfort in looking at the treetops of Shirakawa, while here he listens to the warbler in them. Shifting from sight to sound, the two poems continue on the same Shirakawa spring.

First line, “Shirakawa no”: the same words as the first line of the preceding poem, naming Shirakawa east of the capital.
Second line, “haru no kozue no”: of the spring cherry branches.
Third line, “uguisu wa”: singling out the warbler singing in those treetops.
Fourth line, “hana no kotoba o”: the words of the blossoms, personifying the flowers.
Fifth line, “kiku kokochi suru”: I feel I am hearing, closing by receiving the warbler's song as the language of the flowers.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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