Arare furi Kishimi ga take o sagashimi to kusa torikanawa imo ga te o toru

霰降り吉志美が岳をさがしみと
草取りかなわ妹が手を取る

Roma-ji: Arare furi Kishimi ga take o sagashimi to kusa torikanawa imo ga te o toru
English Translation: Hail falling loudly,
Kishimi's peak is so steep
that I lose my hold,
missing the grass I grasp for,
and instead I take her hand.
Meaning: The peak of Kishimi is so steep that, failing to catch hold of the grass, I take my darling's hand instead.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 385

Headnote: "Three poems on the immortal of the tsumi branch"
This is the first of the three poems on the immortal of the tsumi branch. Climbing a steep mountain, the man misses his grip on the grass and takes the girl's hand instead—a charming glimpse of a couple. A left note says that by one account this is a poem given by Umashine of Yoshino to the immortal maiden of the tsumi branch, but that the tale of the tsumi branch contains no such poem. It is nearly identical to a song-fair poem on Mount Kishima preserved in a fragment of the Hizen Fudoki, so it seems originally to have been a song sung at song fairs in various places, and the author cannot be fixed.
The three poems on the immortal of the tsumi branch relate to the legend of Umashine, a fisherman of Yoshino, who picked up a branch of tsumi floating down the river; it turned into a beautiful immortal maiden, and the two became husband and wife.

First line "Hail falling loudly": since hail makes a clattering sound (kishimu), arare furi is a pillow word for Kishimi.
Second line "Kishimi's peak" names a mountain of unknown location, thought to be related to Mount Kishima in Hizen.
Third line "is so steep": sagashi means steep, and mi gives the cause.
Fourth line "missing the grass I grasp for": the meaning of kusa torikanawa is debated; "failing to grasp the grass" is the prevailing reading.
Fifth line "and instead I take her hand" overlays a moment of climbing with a gesture of love.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Waga yado ni karaai maki ooshi karenuredo korizute mata mo makamu to zo omou
Next Poem: Kono yūbe tsumi no saeda no nagarekoba yana wa utazute torazu ka mo aramu