1814
.死んだならおれが日を鳴け閑古鳥
shinda nara ore ga hi wo nake kankodori
when I'm dead
sing my requiem
mountain cuckoo!
Literally, Issa asks the bird to sing on those days on which, according to custom, family members commemorate the death of a loved one.
All translations © 1991-2010 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.