Imo ga me o hatsumi no saki no akihagi wa kono tsukigoro wa chirikosu na yume

妹が目を始見の崎の秋萩は
この月ごろは散りこすなゆめ

Roma-ji: Imo ga me o hatsumi no saki no akihagi wa kono tsukigoro wa chirikosu na yume
English Translation: As a lover's eyes
first seen, on Hatsumi Cape
the autumn clover,
throughout these few months to come
never let yourself fall
Meaning: O autumn bush clover on the cape of Hatsumi, for these few months, never let yourself fall.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1560

Headnote: "Two poems composed by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue at the estate of Tomi"
Addressing the autumn bush clover blooming on the cape of Hatsumi, the poet begs it never to fall during the few months she is there. Staying at Tomi, an estate of the Ōtomo clan, she composed this out of tenderness for the clover of that place.
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. Tomi lies near present-day Sakurai in Nara.
The reading line lacks a reading for "始見," which is generally read "hatsumi."

The first line, "a lover's eyes," works like a pillow word leading to "hatsumi," from the sense of first seeing a lover's face.
The second line appears to be a place name near Tomi.
The third line addresses the autumn clover blooming on the cape.
The fourth line, "for these few months," refers to the period of her stay at the estate.
The final line joins the prohibitive "na" to the desiderative "kosu" and strengthens it with "yume," begging it never to fall. The same final line appears in 1437 of this book; there it is the plum of Kasuga, here the clover of Hatsumi, so poems asking flowers not to fall answer each other in spring and autumn.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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