The only record of this poetry match’s existence is in the headnote to the poems in Motozane-shū (180, 181), which simply reads ‘From a poetry match’. Hagitani (1958, 418) suggests that, as these poems are recorded separately in this work from Motozane’s other poems for poetry matches, they are most likely from a different contest, the details of which have now been lost. Given the topic of ‘Cuckoos’, however, it most likely will have taken place in the late spring or early summer.

うのはなの影にかくれて今日までぞ山時鳥声はをしまむ

unohana no kage ni kakurete kyō made zo yama hototogisu koe wa oshimamu

Within the deutzia’s Shade concealed Until today The mountain cuckoo Seems to regret his song.

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いまよりは声なをしみそ時鳥五月待つまのほどぞあるらし

ima yori wa koe na oshimi so hototogisu satsuki matsu ma no hodo zo arurashi

From now on Your song do not regret, O, cuckoo, For to await the Fifth Month Some time there still seems to be!

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