Hototogisu
Nakitsuru kata wo
Nagamureba
Tada ariake no
Tsuki zo nokoreru.
THE MINISTER-OF-THE-LEFT OF THE TOKUDAI TEMPLE
The cuckoo’s echo dies away,
And lo! the branch is bare;
I only see the morning moon,
Whose light is fading there
Before the daylight’s glare.
The writer’s name was Sanesada Fujiwara, and he entered the priesthood in the year 1198. The cuckoo, according to Japanese tradition, cries through the night until its eyes become bloodshot. It is supposed to come from the Spirit-land across the mountains of Hades, about the end of the fifth month, to warn the farmer that it is time to sow his rice. In the illustration we see the morning moon setting behind the hills, and the cuckoo flying away.
