priya-rava-padani bhasase

mrta-sañjivikayanaya gira

karavani kim adya te priyam

vada me valgita-kantha kokila

 

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:

 

O sweet-throated cuckoo, in a voice that could revive the dead you are vibrating the same sounds we once heard from our beloved, the most pleasing of speakers. Please tell me what I can do today to please you.

 

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 

 

As Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains, though the song of a cuckoo is very pleasant, Lord Krsna’s wives perceive it as painful because it reminds them of their beloved Krsna and exacerbates their pain of separation.