Koto furaba sode sae nurete tōrubeku furinamu yuki no sora ni ketsutsu

こと降らば袖さへ濡れて通るべく
降りなむ雪の空に消につつ

Roma-ji: Koto furaba sode sae nurete tōrubeku furinamu yuki no sora ni ketsutsu
English Translation: If it's going to fall,
let it drench my sleeves as well,
soaking through and through—
but the snow that would come down
keeps on melting in the sky.
Meaning: If it is going to fall, it should fall enough to soak even my sleeves through—yet the snow keeps melting away in the sky.
Commentary: Book Ten Winter Miscellaneous Poems 2317

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Snow"
This poem regrets that the snow, which should fall enough to soak through the sleeves if it falls at all, keeps melting in the air. It shows both longing for a real snowscape and frustration at snow that will not fully fall. Against the lingering snow of the preceding poem, this one sings of snow vanishing in the sky, a contrast of snow that melts and snow that remains.

In the first line, "koto furaba," "koto" means if at all: if it is going to fall.
In the second line, "sode sae nurete," "sae" expresses addition: even the sleeves wet.
The third line, "so as to soak through," names the degree.
In the fourth line, "furinamu yuki no," "na" is emphatic and "mu" conjecture: the snow that would fall.
In the last line, "sora ni ketsutsu," "ke" means to vanish and "tsutsu" marks repetition: melting away in the sky.
Source: Manyoshu
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