Year
Translation
Poem of the snow that falls on trees
As spring begins
The white flowers we see
May just be the snow
On the bough
Where the cuckoo sings
Commentary
From a distance, one cannot tell the difference between the white flowers on a mountain and the white snow that remains as winter turns to spring. The poem whimsically wonders if the cuckoo mistook the snow for flowers and landed on the bough to sing its song. It can also be read as the cuckoo weeps when it lands on the bough, thinking it has flowers, but it turns out to have snow.
| Japanese | Pronunciation |
| | |
| 素性法師 | Sosei Houshi |
| | |
| 春立てば | Haru tateba |
| 花とや見らむ | Hana to ya miran |
| 白雪の | Shira yuki no |
| かかれる枝に | Kakareru eda ni |
| うぐひすぞなく | Uguisu zo naku |
Translation Notes
Spring rises/stands when/as/if
Flowers and see may/suppose
White snow ’s
[Hang/come-into-view/straddle/span/befall/fasten/be-the-result-of] branch/bough on
Bush-warbler/nightingale/cuckoo sing/chirp/cry/weep