Ōkimi wa tokiwa ni masamu tachibana no tono no tachibana hitateri ni shite

大君は常磐にまさむ橘の
殿の橘ひた照りにして

Roma-ji: Ōkimi wa tokiwa ni masamu tachibana no tono no tachibana hitateri ni shite
English Translation: Our Sovereign will be
evergreen as rock for all time,
for the tachibana,
the tachibana of the hall,
shines and shines on without end.
Meaning: Our Sovereign will remain as changeless as the rock, for the tachibana of the hall of Tachibana shines on and on.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4064

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems composed later in response to the tachibana poems."
The poet says that the Sovereign will remain forever unchanging like the rock, while the tachibana of the Tachibana hall shines on and on. Continuing his response to the tachibana poems from the Naniwa Palace, he entrusts his wish for the Sovereign's long life to the evergreen tachibana, while also praising the prosperity of Tachibana no Moroe's house.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
The left note reads, "The two poems above were composed by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi."

First line, "ōkimi wa": taking up "wago ōkimi wa" in the fourth line of the preceding poem, it sets the Sovereign at the head as the theme.
Second line, "tokiwa ni masamu": "tokiwa" means eternally unchanging, "masu" is an honorific of "aru," and "mu" is conjectural. The poem pauses after the second line.
Third line, "tachibana no": the same line that opens the imperial poem 4058, carrying on the praise of the tachibana.
Fourth line, "tono no tachibana": taking up "tono tatete" from 4059, it names the tachibana of the banquet hall. Repeating "tachibana" follows the model of the imperial "tachibana no too no tachibana."
Last line, "hitateri ni shite": "hitateri" means shining wholeheartedly. It pairs with "iyateri ni" in the preceding poem, so both poems end on the gleaming tachibana.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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