Osato naru hanatachibana o hikiyojite oramu to suredo urawakami koso

小里なる花橘を引き攀ぢて
折らむとすれどうら若みこそ

Roma-ji: Osato naru hanatachibana o hikiyojite oramu to suredo urawakami koso
English Translation: In the little village
the flowering mandarin,
drawing down its branch,
I would break it off, and yet—
it is still so young, so young.
Meaning: I draw down a branch of the flowering mandarin in the little village to break it off—but it is still so very young.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3574

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Allegorical Poems"
The singer draws down a branch of the flowering mandarin in the village to break it off but hesitates because it is still too young—an allegory of hesitating to approach a girl who is still young. Longing for her and restraint out of care for her youth are both expressed.
It is one of the allegorical poems. Like "fufumaru toki" in 3572, it likens a young girl to a plant.
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, "osato naru": "In the little village," with "o" a prefix.
Second line, "hanatachibana o": A flowering mandarin, a figure for a young girl.
Third line, "hikiyojite": "Hikiyoji" is drawing a branch down toward oneself.
Fourth line, "oramu to suredo": "Though I try to break it off," meaning to make the girl his own.
Final line, "urawakami koso": "Urawakami" means because it is young, and "koso" intensifies; a verb such as "I hesitate" is left unsaid, leaving a lingering close.
Source: Manyoshu
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