Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left

Meaning

I looked toward where the cuckoo had just called — and all that remained was the pale moon at dawn.

Commentary

The hototogisu (lesser cuckoo) was the most eagerly anticipated bird of early summer — its first cry was a poetic event. The speaker turns at the sound and finds only the fading moon. The bird has gone; its call was fleeting; only the moon remains. The poem is about the experience of missing the moment itself.

Fujiwara no Sanesada (Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left) was a distinguished court noble who loved refined pursuits — poetry, music, incense. He reportedly refused to wake in the night to hear the hototogisu. This poem is said to have been composed in wry response to that failure, admitting a beautiful missed experience with quiet grace.

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