Nochimaki no okurete ouru nae naredo ada ni wa naranu tanomi to zo kiku - Kokin Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

のちまきのおくれて生ふる苗なれど
あだにはならぬたのみとぞ聞く

Roma-ji: Nochimaki no okurete ouru nae naredo ada ni wa naranu tanomi to zo kiku
English Translation: Though they are seedlings
sown late and sprouting
behind all the rest,
they will not come to nothing—
a harvest to trust in, I hear.
Meaning: Though these are seedlings sown late and slow to come up, I hear they will not go to waste—they are a hope to rely on, the fruit of the paddy.
Commentary: Book Ten Names of Things 467

Headnote: "Chimaki rice dumplings"
This poem says that though the seedlings were sown late and sprout behind the rest, one hears they are a hope not in vain, the fruit of the rice field. The title "chimaki" (rice dumplings wrapped in leaves) is hidden in "nochimaki" in the first line. Through the pun on "tanomi," it expresses the idea that even late-sprouting seedlings hold the promise of a harvest.
The poet, "Ōe no Chisato," was a son of Ōe no Otondo. Versed in Chinese learning, he is known for the Kudai Waka, waka composed on lines of Chinese poems.

First line "Nochimaki no" means "sown later." "Chimaki" hides the title "chimaki."
Second line "okurete ouru" means "sprouting late."
Third line "nae naredo" means "though they are seedlings," continuing concessively into the lower verse.
Fourth line "ada ni wa naranu" means "not coming to nothing."
Fifth line "tanomi to zo kiku" puns "tanomi" on "hope, reliance" and "ta no mi" (fruit of the paddy), and closes in the attributive "kiku" in answer to "zo."
Author: Oe no Chisato
Source: Kokin Wakashu
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