Wagimoko ga katami no nebu wa hana nomi ni sakite kedashiku mi ni naraji kamo

我妹子が形見の合歓木は花のみに
咲きてけだしく実にならじかも

Roma-ji: Wagimoko ga katami no nebu wa hana nomi ni sakite kedashiku mi ni naraji kamo
English Translation: The silk tree you gave,
my dear, as a keepsake of you,
only in flower
will it bloom and perhaps
never come to fruit at all?
Meaning: The silk tree you gave me as a keepsake: will it bloom only in flower and perhaps never come to fruit?
Commentary: Book Eight Spring Love Poems 1463

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems sent by Ōtomo no Yakamochi in reply"
Of the silk-tree flowers Lady Ki sent him, the poet wonders whether they will bloom only in flower and never bear fruit. Likening flowers without fruit to love that goes no further than words, he asks in return whether her invitation is sincere.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was a son of Ōtomo no Tabito and an official of the Nara period. He rose to the post of Middle Counselor, is thought to have been closely involved in compiling the Man'yōshū, and left more poems than anyone else in the anthology.

The first line, "wagimoko," is an affectionate term for a woman, here Lady Ki. Having called her "my mistress" in the preceding poem, he now calls her anew as a lover.
The second line receives the silk tree she sent as a keepsake, taking up "the silk-tree flower" of 1461.
The third line, "only in flower," hints that there will be no fruit.
In the fourth line, "kedashiku" means "perhaps," corresponding with the conjecture of the final line.
The final line adds "kamo" to the negative conjectural "ji," fearing it may not come to fruit. 1445 of this book also sings of a plum "not yet come to fruit," and the conceit of pondering human ties through the contrast of flower and fruit is shared.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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