Ashihiki no yama no ma terasu sakurabana kono harusame ni chiriyukamu ka mo

あしひきの山の際照らす桜花
この春雨に散りゆかむかも

Roma-ji: Ashihiki no yama no ma terasu sakurabana kono harusame ni chiriyukamu ka mo
English Translation: On the rugged hills,
lighting up the mountain gaps,
the cherry blossoms—
in this falling rain of spring
will they scatter, drift away?
Meaning: The cherry blossoms that light up the gaps between the hills—will they scatter away in this spring rain?
Commentary: Book Ten Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1864

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Flowers"
This poem worries that the cherry blossoms lighting up the gaps between the hills will be scattered by the spring rain that has begun to fall. Contrasting the brilliance of flowers in full bloom with the rain that scatters them, it expresses plainly the heart that grieves for blossoms. The pairing of flowers and spring rain also appears in 1869 and 1870, where spring rain is sung within the flower group as what both brings flowers into bloom and scatters them.

The first line, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word attached to "mountain."
The second line, "lighting the mountain gaps," shows the cherry blossoms appearing to brighten the space between the hills.
The third line, "cherry blossoms," is a noun naming the source of the radiance depicted above.
The fourth line, "in this spring rain," uses "kono," this, to mark the rain now falling before the eyes.
In the last line, "chiriyukamu ka mo," "mu" is conjecture and "ka mo" a question tinged with exclamation, closing with anxiety that the flowers will fall.
Source: Manyoshu
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