DESCRIPTION:
This piece is best understood by reading the tanka (short poem) upon which it is based. The poem is found in the Kokin Wakashu, an anthology of poetry written in the early Helan period (circa 10th century). The following is a rough translation:

At the foot of the mountain Shizu no Yama
There is a beach where one can find the plover bird
"Your life span as your cry reaches back thousands of years"
In the middle of the night, back and forth from Awaji Island
The cry of the plover continually awakens me
(It is) the protector of the night.