Haru no ame wa iyashiki furu ni ume no hana imada sakanaku ito wakami kamo

春の雨はいやしき降るに梅の花
いまだ咲かなくいと若みかも

Roma-ji: Haru no ame wa iyashiki furu ni ume no hana imada sakanaku ito wakami kamo
English Translation: Though the rains of spring
fall on more and more each day,
the plum's blossoming
has not come as yet; perhaps
it is still too young a tree
Meaning: Though the spring rain falls ever more steadily, the plum has not yet bloomed; perhaps the tree is still too young.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 786

Headnote: "Three poems sent in reply by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi to Fujiwara no Asomi Kusumaro"
This is the first of three poems Yakamochi sent in answer to Fujiwara no Kusumaro. Though spring rain falls ever more steadily, the plum has not bloomed; perhaps the tree is still too young. It is said to answer a proposal from Kusumaro for Yakamochi's daughter, likening her youth to a young plum tree.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito and a poet thought to have been deeply involved in compiling the Man'yōshū. He later rose to the rank of Middle Counselor.

First line, "Though the rains of spring," runs to six syllables.
Second line, "fall on more and more each day," means though it falls ever more often, a figure for the suitor's ardor.
Third line, "the plum's blossoming," names the plum blossom, a figure for the daughter.
Fourth line, "has not come as yet; perhaps," uses sakanaku, the nominalized form of the negative: that it has not yet bloomed.
Fifth line, "it is still too young a tree," means because it is very young, with kamo.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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