Yuki wakete toyama ga tani no uguisu wa fumoto no sato ni haru ya tsuguran

雪分けて外山が谷の鶯は
麓の里に春や告ぐらん

Roma-ji: Yuki wakete toyama ga tani no uguisu wa fumoto no sato ni haru ya tsuguran
English Translation: Parting the deep snow,
the warbler of the valleys
of the foothill peaks—
down to the village below,
does it tell that spring is here?
Meaning: Making its way through the snow, does the warbler of the outer hills' valley go down to tell the village at the foot of the mountains that spring has come?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1065

Headnote: "Deep mountains do not know spring"
This poem is on the topic "Deep mountains do not know spring." The warbler, pushing through the snow from the valleys of the outer hills, may be going down to tell the village at the foot of the mountains that spring has arrived.
Spring has not yet reached the deep mountains, but a warbler from the outer hills near the village goes to announce it; the seasonal gap between the inner mountains and the foothills is drawn through the bird's movement. Like 1064, which set the mountain path against the capital, the poem is built on the contrast of mountain and village.

First line, “yuki wakete”: pushing through the snow, the mountains still deep in it.
Second line, “toyama ga tani no”: toyama are the outer hills near the village, contrasted with the deep mountains; the text's "to yama ka tani no" is read this way.
Third line, “uguisu wa”: the warbler, as the bird that announces spring.
Fourth line, “fumoto no sato ni”: to the village at the foot of the mountains.
Fifth line, “haru ya tsuguran”: ya questions, answered by the attributive ran, "might it be announcing spring?"
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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