Kimi ga ie no hanatachibana wa narinikeri hana no aru toki ni awamashi mono o

君が家の花橘はなりにけり
花のある時に逢はましものを

Roma-ji: Kimi ga ie no hanatachibana wa narinikeri hana no aru toki ni awamashi mono o
English Translation: At your house, my lord,
the orange tree that flowered
has come into fruit:
while its blossoms were still there,
how I wish that we had met
Meaning: The orange tree at your house has already come to fruit; how I wish I had met you while it was still in flower.
Commentary: Book Eight Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1492

Headnote: "A poem on the orange tree [by a wandering courtesan]"
The poet sings that the orange tree at his house has already borne fruit, and that she wishes she had met him while it was in flower. It is read as a greeting by a courtesan attending a banquet who, speaking of the host's orange tree, regrets her late visit while showing her fondness for him.
The author is identified in the note to the headnote only as "a wandering courtesan," and her name is not known. Such women attended banquets and performed songs and dances.
The text gives the fourth line as "hana no aru toki ni," which does not match "hana naru toki ni" in the reading line; here the text is followed.

The first line points to the house of the banquet's host.
The second line names the orange tree that had been in flower.
The third line means "it has borne fruit," stated firmly with the perfective "ni" and exclamatory "keri," and the poem pauses here. 1489 of this book also sings of an orange tree whose flowers have fallen and turned to fruit.
The fourth line, with an extra syllable, means "while the flowers were there."
The final line adds "mono o" to the counterfactual "mashi," regretting what did not happen: had we only met then.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Unohana no sugiba oshimi ka hototogisu amama mo okazu koyu nakiwataru
Next Poem: Waga yado no hanatachibana o hototogisu kinaki toyomete moto ni chirashitsu