Awayuki no konokoro tsugite kaku furaba ume no hatsuhana chiri ka suginamu

沫雪のこのころ継ぎてかく降らば
梅の初花散りか過ぎなむ

Roma-ji: Awayuki no konokoro tsugite kaku furaba ume no hatsuhana chiri ka suginamu
English Translation: If the light snow keeps
falling on and on these days,
falling like this now,
will the plum's first blossoms
scatter and be gone at last?
Meaning: If the light snow keeps falling like this day after day, will the first plum blossoms scatter and be gone?
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Miscellaneous Poems 1651

Headnote: "A poem by Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue"
Since light snow has kept falling like this these days, the poet worries that the first plum blossoms, just opened, may be scattered. Cherishing the plum that bloomed early in the snow, she regrets that its flowers may be lost.
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 means "of the light snow that melts like foam."
The second line means "continuing these days," showing that snow has fallen day after day.
The third line means "if it falls like this."
The fourth line names the first plum blossoms of the year.
The final line, with the interrogative "ka," perfective "na," and conjectural "mu," worries whether they will scatter. The same final line appears in 1554 and 1557 of this book, so the book regrets autumn leaves and bush clover scattered by showers and rain in autumn, and plum scattered by snow in winter.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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