Wagimoko ni ōchi no hana wa chirisugizu ima sakeru goto arikosenu ka mo

我妹子に楝の花は散り過ぎず
今咲けるごとありこせぬかも

Roma-ji: Wagimoko ni ōchi no hana wa chirisugizu ima sakeru goto arikosenu ka mo
English Translation: That I may meet my love,
may the ōchi blossoms not
scatter and be gone;
just as now they bloom in flower,
would that they might so remain!
Meaning: O ōchi blossoms, whose name speaks of meeting my beloved—do not scatter and fade, but stay just as you bloom now.
Commentary: Book Ten Summer Miscellaneous Poems 1973

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Flowers"
This poem wishes the chinaberry blossoms would not scatter but stay just as they bloom now. The name "ōchi," chinaberry, plays on "au," to meet, drawn out by the opening "wagimoko ni," to my beloved, carrying the wish that the flowers stay in full bloom until the meeting with the beloved. Within the flower group, the chinaberry follows tachibana and wild pinks.

The first line, "wagimoko ni," to my beloved, continues into the "au" of "ōchi," echoing the sense of meeting her.
In the second line, "ōchi no hana wa," "ōchi" is an old name for the chinaberry, which bears pale purple flowers in early summer, punning on "au," to meet.
The third line, "not scattering past," expresses the wish.
In the fourth line, "ima sakeru goto," "ru" marks continuing state: as they bloom now.
In the last line, "arikosenu ka mo," "kose" is the irrealis of the wishing auxiliary "kosu," and "nu ka mo" is a negative question expressing a wish.
Source: Manyoshu
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