A robin lands on a blossoming branch and sings, and the speaker takes this as proof that spring has arrived. There is no grand argument or hidden meaning here—just a close, delighted attention to a single image. The word “Lo!” gives the moment a gentle surprise, as if the speaker has suddenly noticed something wonderful and wants to share it. Because the twig is already flowering and the bird is singing, the final line feels less like a guess than a quiet, satisfied recognition: “It must be spring.” The mood is fresh, light, and hopeful. The poem captures that brief season when the world seems to wake up, and it invites the reader to pause and notice the small signs—blossoms, birdsong—that make a season real.
Japanese Hokku 7 — Summary
On the flowering twig, Lo! the robin is singing. It must be spring.