Kataoka no kono mukatsuo ni shii makaba kotoshi no natsu no kage ni naramu ka

片岡のこの向つ峰に椎蒔かば
今年の夏の蔭にならむか

Roma-ji: Kataoka no kono mukatsuo ni shii makaba kotoshi no natsu no kage ni naramu ka
English Translation: On Kataoka Hill,
on this ridge across the way,
if I sow chinquapins,
this very summer, I wonder,
would they spread their shade for me?
Meaning: If I sowed chinquapin nuts on this ridge facing me at Kataoka, would they grow into shade by this summer?
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1099

Headnote: "On Hills"
The poet wonders whether chinquapin nuts sown on the facing hill would give shade by this very summer. Expecting instant results from a tree that cannot grow so fast gives the poem a charming, playful mood. Some see in it a figure for a heart impatient for love to be fulfilled.
It is a poem under the heading "On Hills." Kataoka is thought to be the hills stretching from Ōji Town to Kashiba City in Nara Prefecture. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "On Kataoka Hill," is a place name, which may also be read as "a hill sloping on one side."
The second line, "on this ridge across the way," refers to the facing summit.
The third line, "if I sow chinquapins," is a hypothetical condition: "if I were to sow the nuts."
The fourth line, "this very summer," stresses how short the time would be, the summer right after sowing.
In the final line, the question particle "ka" asks, knowing it is impossible, whether they would become shade, and therein lies the poem's charm.
Source: Manyoshu
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