むめのはなちるよりさきにさきしかどみるひはさきにゆきのふれれば
mume no hana
chiru yori saki ni
sakishikado
miru hi wa saki ni
yuki no furereba | Plum blossom:
Before in scatters,
It has bloomed, yet
On the day to view it, first
Snow has fallen, so… |
君恋ふと伏しゐもせぬに時鳥青山辺より鳴き渡るなり
kimi kopu to
pusiwi mo senu ni
pototogisu
awoyamabe yori
nakiwataru nari |
“I love you!”,
Never lying still,
The cuckoo,
From the lush mountain’s edge
Calls back and forth. |
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
大伴家持
'Simply moving and elegant'