Koishikeba kimase waga seko kakitsu yagi ure tsumi karashi ware tachimatamu

恋しけば来ませ我が背子垣つ柳
末摘み枯らし我れ立ち待たむ

Roma-ji: Koishikeba kimase waga seko kakitsu yagi ure tsumi karashi ware tachimatamu
English Translation: If you long for me,
come to me, my husband dear:
the hedgerow willow—
plucking its tips till they wither,
I will stand and wait for you.
Meaning: If you miss me, come, my love—I will stand and wait, plucking the tips of the hedge willow till they wither.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3455

Headnote: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
If he longs for her, let him come, a woman says; she will stand waiting until she has plucked the hedge willow's tips bare. The unconscious act of picking at willow buds while waiting expresses her aching love.
The love exchanges resume with this poem. It opens with "Koishikeba," the same as 3376 from Musashi.
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.

First line, "koishikeba": An eastern form meaning "if you long for me," the same opening as 3376.
Second line, "kimase waga seko": "Come, my husband"; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "kakitsu yagi": "Kakitsu yagi" is a hedge willow, "tsu" being an old particle equal to "no."
Fourth line, "ure tsumi karashi": "Ure" are the tips of the branches, which she plucks till they wither.
Final line, "ware tachimatamu": "I will stand and wait," with "mu" showing intention.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Niwa ni tatsu asade kobusuma koyoi dani tsuma yoshikosene asade kobusuma
Next Poem: Utsusemi no yaso koto no e wa shigeku tomo arasoikanete a o koto nasu na