Tsubana nuku asaji ga hara no tsubosumire ima sakari nari aga kouraku wa

茅花抜く浅茅が原のつほすみれ
今盛りなり我が恋ふらくは

Roma-ji: Tsubana nuku asaji ga hara no tsubosumire ima sakari nari aga kouraku wa
English Translation: Where they pull reed flowers,
in the field of low cogon grass,
the little violets:
now they are in their full bloom,
and so too is my longing
Meaning: Like the violets in the field of low reeds where people pull the reed flowers, my longing for you is now in full bloom.
Commentary: Book Eight Spring Love Poems 1449

Headnote: "A poem given by the Elder Daughter of the Ōtomo house of Tamura to her younger sister, the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue"
Drawing on the violets blooming in the fields where people pull reed flowers, the poet says that her longing for her sister is now at its height. The affection between sisters is expressed in the form of a love poem.
The author, the Elder Daughter of Ōtomo of Tamura, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Sukunamaro and an elder half-sister of the Elder Daughter of Sakanoue. She is called by this name because she lived in the village of Tamura.

The first line, "pulling reed flowers," describes the gathering of cogon grass flower spikes in the spring fields.
The second line names a field of low-growing cogon grass.
The third line names the violets; the first three lines form a preface leading to "full bloom." In 1444 of this book, violets are likewise said to be "in their prime," so the same flower's prime serves there as an actual scene and here as a figure for love.
The fourth line, "now in full bloom," ends a phrase and lays the peak of love over the peak of the violets.
The final line, "my longing," reveals the subject at the end through inversion.
Author: Ōtomo no Tamura no Ōiratsume
Source: Manyoshu
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