Sakurabana saki kamo chiru to miru made ni tare kamo koko ni miete chiriyuku

桜花咲きかも散ると見るまでに
誰れかもここに見えて散り行く

Roma-ji: Sakurabana saki kamo chiru to miru made ni tare kamo koko ni miete chiriyuku
English Translation: Like cherry blossoms
blooming and then scattering,
so it seems to me,
who are they that come in sight
and scatter on their way
Meaning: As if cherry blossoms were blooming and scattering, who are these people who appear here and then scatter on their way?
Commentary: Book Twelve Thoughts Arising on Journeys 3129

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Thoughts Arising on Journeys"
On a journey, the poet likens people who appear and then scatter away to cherry blossoms that bloom and fall. The fleetingness of human meetings and partings is expressed through the bright image of blossoms.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet who served under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note shows that this poem was taken from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, though scholars differ on whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a song he recorded.

Line one, "sakurabana," means "cherry blossoms."
Line two, "saki kamo chiru to," means "as if blooming and scattering."
Line three, "miru made ni," means "so that it seems."
Line four, "tare kamo koko ni," means "who are they, here?", with "kamo" a question concluded by the attributive "yuku" in line five.
Line five, "miete chiriyuku," means "appearing and scattering away," likening passing travelers to falling cherry blossoms.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
Source: Manyoshu
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