Uguisu wa hana no miyako mo tabi nareba tani no furusu o wasure ya wa suru - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

鶯は花の都も旅なれば
谷の古巣を忘れやはする

Roma-ji: Uguisu wa hana no miyako mo tabi nareba tani no furusu o wasure ya wa suru
English Translation: For the bush warbler,
even the capital of flowers
is but a journey —
how could it ever forget
its old nest in the valley
Meaning: For the bush warbler, even the flowering capital is only a stop on a journey; how could it ever forget its old nest in the valley?
Commentary: Book Eight Love Poems II 260

Answering the plea of the preceding poem not to forget the old nest in the valley, the poet says that even the splendid capital is only a lodging on a journey, and he will never forget his old home. The poem dispels the other's worry and shows an unchanging heart.
The author, Gyoson, was a monk of Onjoji Temple and a poet also known as an ascetic of mountain practice.

The first line, "uguisu wa" (the bush warbler), repeats the first line of the preceding poem, 259, answering by likening himself to the same bird.
The second line, "hana no miyako mo" (even the capital of flowers), turns the "flowering branches" of the preceding poem into the splendid capital.
The third line, "tabi nareba," is a conditional of certainty: since it is only a journey.
The fourth line, "tani no furusu o," is the same line as in the preceding poem and refers to the former home.
The final line, "wasure ya wa suru," forms a rhetorical kakari-musubi of "ya wa" and the attributive "suru": how could I forget? It answers "omoiwasuru na" of the preceding poem, and 263 of this book shares the same final line.
Author: Gyōson
Source: Shika Wakashu
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