Muretachite kumoi ni tazu no koe su nari kimi ga chitose ya sora ni miyuran

群れ立ちて雲居に鶴の声すなり
君が千歳や空に見ゆらん

Roma-ji: Muretachite kumoi ni tazu no koe su nari kimi ga chitose ya sora ni miyuran
English Translation: Rising in a flock,
high among the clouds, I hear
the cry of the cranes—
is my lord's thousand years
appearing in the sky?
Meaning: I hear the cry of cranes rising in a flock high among the clouds. Could it be that our lord's thousand years are appearing in the sky?
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1173

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Congratulations"
The cry of cranes rising in a flock is heard high among the clouds; could it be our lord's thousand years appearing in the sky? the poet asks.
The crane was a bird of long life said to live a thousand years, and in a flock of cranes calling in the sky the poet sees the lord's longevity revealed in the heavens. Kumoi means both the sky and the court, echoing the palace the lord rules.

First line, “muretachite”: rising in a flock.
Second line, “kumoi ni tazu no”: kumoi is the sky, also suggesting the court; the crane symbolizes a thousand years of life.
Third line, “koe su nari”: nari infers from hearing, "a voice is heard"; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “kimi ga chitose ya”: ya questions, answered by the attributive ran.
Fifth line, “sora ni miyuran”: might it appear in the sky? the cranes overlaid with the lord's long life.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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