Kaze majiri yuki wa furu tomo mi ni naranu wagie no ume o hana ni chirasu na

風交り雪は降るとも実にならぬ
我家の梅を花に散らすな

Roma-ji: Kaze majiri yuki wa furu tomo mi ni naranu wagie no ume o hana ni chirasu na
English Translation: Though mixed with the wind
the snow may come falling down,
not yet come to fruit,
the plum tree of my household:
do not scatter it in flower
Meaning: Though snow may fall mixed with wind, do not scatter the plum of my house while it is still in flower, before it has borne fruit.
Commentary: Book Eight Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1445

Headnote: "A poem by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
The poet asks that even if snow falls on the wind, the plum of her house, which has not yet borne fruit, not be scattered while still in flower. The plum is also read as a figure for a daughter of marriageable age, voicing a mother's care for a girl not yet bound in marriage.
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 shows snow driven along mixed with the wind.
The second line is a concessive supposition: "even if snow falls."
The third line means "not yet bearing fruit." In 1463 of this book, the fulfillment of love is sung through the contrast of flower and fruit, "blooming only in flower" and "never coming to fruit," so the same conceit echoes here.
The fourth line names the plum of her own house, letting her concern for someone close show through.
The final line, with the prohibitive "na," pleads strongly that it not be scattered while in flower.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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