by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Laurel Rasplica Rodd
oh sweet nightingale
Language: English after the Japanese (日本語)
oh sweet nightingale
your first songs of the season
unleashed unbidden
a love without an object a
love without the hope of joy
oh sweet nightingale
of the mountains you who wait
for midsummer's month
flutter your wings raise your voice
sing us your unforgotten song
oh sweet nightingale
do not return to your home
in faraway hills
as long as you can sing please
remain here in my garden
About the headline (FAQ)
In Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius, Kokinshu: A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern, Boston, MA : Cheng & Tsui, 1996; A combination of three poems taken from the Kokinshu, a collection of Japanese poetry from the early 10th century
Text Authorship:
Based on:
- a text in Japanese (日本語) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Shih-Hui Chen (b. 1962), 1992 [ soprano and orchestra ], from 66 Times, the Voice of Pines and Cedars, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-12
Line count: 15
Word count: 71