Azusayumi hikitsu no he naru nanoriso no hana saku made ni awanu kimi ka mo

梓弓引津の辺なるなのりその
花咲くまでに逢はぬ君かも

Roma-ji: Azusayumi hikitsu no he naru nanoriso no hana saku made ni awanu kimi ka mo
English Translation: Catalpa bow drawn,
by the shores of Hikitsu
the nanoriso—
until even it may bloom,
you do not come to meet me.
Meaning: Until the nanoriso seaweed by the shores of Hikitsu comes into flower, you do not come to meet me.
Commentary: Book Ten Spring Love Poems 1930

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems in Dialogue"
This poem laments a beloved who does not come to meet for as long as it takes the nanoriso seaweed on the shore of Hikitsu to bloom. Nanoriso is a seaweed thought not to flower, so the exaggeration "until what cannot bloom has bloomed" seems to stress the long time without meeting. "Nanoriso" also echoes "do not tell your name," suggesting a hidden love kept from others' knowledge. It forms an exchange with the next poem, 1931.

The first line, "azusayumi," is a pillow word for "Hikitsu" from "hiku," to draw a bow.
In the second line, "by the shore of Hikitsu," Hikitsu is a place in Chikuzen Province, present-day Itoshima, Fukuoka.
In the third line, "nanoriso no," "nanoriso" is thought to be an old name for the gulfweed hondawara, echoing "na nori so," do not tell your name.
The fourth line, "until the flowers bloom," marks the span of time.
The last line, "awanu kimi ka mo," is the same ending as 1902, closing with a lament for the beloved who does not come.
Source: Manyoshu
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