Ume no hana sakite chirinaba wagimoko o komu ka koji ka to waga matsu no ki zo

梅の花咲きて散りなば我妹子を
来むか来じかと我が松の木ぞ

Roma-ji: Ume no hana sakite chirinaba wagimoko o komu ka koji ka to waga matsu no ki zo
English Translation: Blossoms of the plum,
should they bloom and scatter down,
for my darling girl,
"Will she come, or will she not?"
I'll be the pine that waits.
Meaning: If the plum blossoms bloom and scatter, I will still be waiting for my beloved, wondering whether she will come or not—I am the pine tree that waits.
Commentary: Book Ten Spring Love Poems 1922

Headnote: "Love Expressed Through Pines"
This poem vows to keep waiting for the beloved's visit until the plum blossoms have bloomed and fallen, playing on "matsu" as both pine and wait. Its headnote is "Love Expressed Through Pines." The passing of the season as the plum blooms and falls shows the length of the waiting, and the pine tree carries the heart that goes on waiting. The pun on pine and waiting is a device found often in later waka.

The first line, "plum blossoms," marks the passing of the season.
In the second line, "sakite chirinaba," "na" is the irrealis of the completive "nu" and "ba" marks a supposition, showing the time until the plum blooms and falls.
The third line, "wagimoko o," uses a man's affectionate word for his beloved.
The fourth line, "will she come or not," shows the wavering of a waiting heart.
In the last line, "waga matsu no ki zo," "matsu" is a pivot word meaning both pine and wait, and "zo" is emphatic, closing by likening the waiting self to a pine tree.
Source: Manyoshu
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