鳴かぬなら鳴くまで待とう時鳥

Etymology
From the, a collection of essays by written during the late. This senryū is attributed to, the third of the three major lords of the and the first Tokugawa shogun.

Literally “if the does not sing, wait until it sings”.

The essay has the differing reactions of the two other lords of the era:

Phrase

 * 1) waiting patiently until time is ripe, compare