Ume no hana sore tomo miezu furu yuki no ichishirokemu na matsukai yaraba

梅の花それとも見えず降る雪の
いちしろけむな間使遣らば

Roma-ji: Ume no hana sore tomo miezu furu yuki no ichishirokemu na matsukai yaraba
English Translation: Blossoms of the plum
cannot be told apart from it,
the snow falling down—
plain as that, it would be seen,
should I send a messenger.
Meaning: Like the falling snow that cannot be told from plum blossoms, it would become plain to all, if I were to send a messenger.
Commentary: Book Ten Winter Love Poems 2344

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Love Expressed Through Snow"
This poem fears that, like falling snow indistinguishable from plum blossoms, sending a messenger would make their love plain to others. From the confusion of white plum and snow it draws "ichishirokemu," showing hesitation to send love's messenger. The kundoku also carries a variant for the lower lines, "furu yuki ni matsukai yaraba sore to shiranamu." Like the skirt's trail on the snow in the preceding poem, it fears love becoming known through the snow.

The first line, "plum blossoms," names the comparison.
The second line, "not to be told apart," describes the confusion.
The third line, "like the falling snow," with the upper lines forming a preface leading into "ichishirokemu."
In the fourth line, "ichishirokemu na," "ichishiroshi" means plain, "mu" conjecture, and "na" exclamatory; the poem breaks here.
In the last line, "matsukai yaraba," "matsukai" is a messenger between lovers and "ba" marks a supposition; by inversion the condition comes at the end.
Source: Manyoshu
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