Hito mina wa hagi o aki to iu yoshi ware wa obana ga ure o aki to wa iwamu

人皆は萩を秋と言ふよし我れは
尾花が末を秋とは言はむ

Roma-ji: Hito mina wa hagi o aki to iu yoshi ware wa obana ga ure o aki to wa iwamu
English Translation: All the people say
bush clover means autumn's time,
but so be it—I
will say the tips of pampas
are the autumn, as for me.
Meaning: Everyone says that bush clover is autumn—well then, I will say that autumn is the tips of the pampas grass.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2110

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Flowers"
This poem asserts a personal aesthetic: everyone says bush clover is the emblem of autumn, but the speaker will say that autumn is the plumes of pampas grass. Within the bush clover group, the contrarian stance of deliberately bringing up pampas grass is delightful, making it a distinctive poem in the group.

The first line, "all the people," names the common view.
The second line, "say bush clover is autumn," is hypermetric, and the poem breaks here.
In the third line, "yoshi ware wa," "yoshi" means well then, whatever.
In the fourth line, "obana ga ure o," "obana" means pampas grass plumes and "ure" their tips.
In the last line, "aki to wa iwamu," "mu" expresses intention, closing with the speaker's claim that pampas grass is autumn.
Source: Manyoshu
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