Fujiwara no Kotonao, “Is it spring?”

Translation
At
the beginning of spring
Is it spring?
The plums bloom
late
And not even
The warblers
Will sing their
tune.
Japanese
Pronunciation
ふぢはらのことなほ
Fujiwara no Kotonao
はるやとき
Haru ya toki
花やおそきと
Hana ya osoki to
ききわかむ
Kikiwakan
鶯だにも
Uguisu dani mo
なかずもあるかな
Nakazu mo aru kana
Translation Notes
Spring/swells/forms
[particle] time
Flower
[particle] late [particle]
Hear erupt/gush-not
Bush-warbler/nightingale
[not even] [also]
Sings not
[also] is [how!/alas!]
Both the uguisu (bush warblers) beginning to sing and plum blossoms
beginning to bloom herald the start of spring. This poem plays on the fact that
it appears to be spring, but the two traditional signs of spring are not occurring.

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