Ume no hana ori mo orazu mo mitsuredomo koyoi no hana ni nao shikazukeri

梅の花折りも折らずも見つれども
今夜の花になほしかずけり

Roma-ji: Ume no hana ori mo orazu mo mitsuredomo koyoi no hana ni nao shikazukeri
English Translation: The plum blossoms I
have seen, broken off or not,
many times, and yet
to the flowers of tonight
none, after all, can compare
Meaning: I have looked at plum blossoms many times, broken off or left on the branch, but none, after all, can match tonight's flowers.
Commentary: Book Eight Winter Miscellaneous Poems 1652

Headnote: "A poem on the plum by Osada no Hirotsu no Otome"
The poet has seen plum blossoms many times, broken off or left on the branch, but says none can match tonight's flowers. Praising above all the plum seen at tonight's banquet, the poem is read as carrying praise for the host and company.
The author, Osada no Hirotsu no Otome, is a woman about whom little is known.

The first line names the plum blossoms she has seen.
The second line means "whether broken off or not," showing that she has seen plum in many ways.
The third line, with the concessive "domo," means "though I have seen them."
The fourth line means "to the flowers of tonight."
The final line, with the emphatic "shi," negative "zu," and exclamatory "keri," concludes that none can match them after all. Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue's 1548 in this book ends with the same line, praising that nothing matches the late-blooming bush clover.
Author: Osada no Hirotsu no Otome
Source: Manyoshu
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