Ureshi tomo omoi zo wakanu hototogisu haru kiku koto no narai nakereba

うれしとも思ひぞわかぬほととぎす
春聞くことのならひなければ

Roma-ji: Ureshi tomo omoi zo wakanu hototogisu haru kiku koto no narai nakereba
English Translation: Whether to be glad
I cannot rightly tell, you
cuckoo, crying now,
for to hear you in the spring
is not the way of things at all.
Meaning: Whether to rejoice, I cannot quite decide, cuckoo, for it is not the custom to hear you while it is still spring.
Commentary: Spring Poems 169

Headnote: "On the topic “Hearing the cuckoo while it is still spring”"
The topic is hearing the cuckoo while it is still spring. The cuckoo is the bird that heralds summer, and it is not its way to sing in spring. So, hearing its voice in spring, the poet is at a loss whether he should feel glad.
Frankly expressing bewilderment at an out-of-season first call, the poem also conveys that spring is nearing its end and the signs of summer are creeping in. It is placed near the end of the spring section as a bridge to the next season.

First line, “ureshi tomo”: that it is joyful.
Second line, “omoi zo wakanu”: the emphatic zo forms a kakari-musubi with the attributive wakanu, I cannot clearly decide.
Third line, “hototogisu”: the cuckoo that heralds summer, with a break after the third line.
Fourth line, “haru kiku koto no”: of hearing it in spring.
Fifth line, “narai nakereba”: since it is not the custom, giving in inverted order the reason for his bewilderment.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
Prev Poem: Misabi ite tsuki mo yadoranu nigorie ni ware suman tote kawazu naku nari
Next Poem: Suguru haru shio no mitsu yori funade shite nami no hana o ya saki ni tatsuran