Hototogisu nakunaku koso wa kataraame shide no yamaji ni kimi shi kakaraba

郭公なくなくこそは語らはめ
死出の山路に君しかからば

Roma-ji: Hototogisu nakunaku koso wa kataraame shide no yamaji ni kimi shi kakaraba
English Translation: As the cuckoo cries,
so in tears will I talk with
you then, if you should
come at last upon the path
across the mountain of death.
Meaning: Like the cuckoo crying, I too will talk with you in tears, when you come to the mountain path of death.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 751

Headnote: "Reply"
This is Saigyō's reply. As the cuckoo cries, so I too will talk with you in tears, when you come to the mountain path of death, he says. Taking up cuckoo, talking together and the mountain path of death from the preceding poem, he accepts Horikawa's request.

First line, “hototogisu”: taking up the third line of the preceding poem, the poet answering as the cuckoo himself.
Second line, “nakunaku koso wa”: naku is a pivot word joining the cuckoo's cry and human weeping; koso is answered by me in the third line.
Third line, “kataraame”: let us talk, taking up 'kataraiokan'; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “shide no yamaji ni”: the same words as the fourth line of the preceding poem.
Fifth line, “kimi shi kakaraba”: shi is emphatic; if you come upon it, inverted to follow the third line.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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