Uchinoboru saho no kawara no aoyagi wa ima wa harube to narinikeru kamo

うち上る佐保の川原の青柳は
今は春へとなりにけるかも

Roma-ji: Uchinoboru saho no kawara no aoyagi wa ima wa harube to narinikeru kamo
English Translation: Up along the stream,
on the riverbanks of Saho
the green willow trees
have at last put on the look
of the season of the spring
Meaning: The green willows on the riverbanks of the Saho, up along the stream, have now taken on the full look of spring.
Commentary: Book Eight Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1433

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems on the willow by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
The poet sings that the green willows on the banks of the Saho River have now taken on the full look of spring. Picturing the Saho willows she longed to see in the preceding poem as they bud in spring, she takes in the turning of the season with deep feeling.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and a half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She was the aunt of Ōtomo no Yakamochi and later also his mother-in-law, and she left many poems in the Man'yōshū.

The first line, "going upstream," traces the path up the Saho River.
The second line names the riverbanks of the river flowing through Saho, where the Ōtomo clan had its residence.
The third line takes up the "green willows" of the preceding poem, linking the two poems around the same trees.
In the fourth line, "harube" means the time of spring, saying that the willows have taken on their spring form.
The final line piles up the perfective "nu," exclamatory "keri," and particle "kamo" to express deep feeling. It is the same as the final line of the opening poem, 1418, and both express wonder at the arrival of spring.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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