Haru makete kaku kaeru tomo akikaze ni momitamu yama o koe kozarame ya

春まけてかく帰るとも秋風に
もみたむ山を越え来ざらめや

Roma-ji: Haru makete kaku kaeru tomo akikaze ni momitamu yama o koe kozarame ya
English Translation: Spring having arrived,
though they go home in this way,
when the autumn wind blows,
over mountains turning red
would they fail to come again?
Meaning: Though they fly home like this now that spring has come, when the autumn wind blows will they not cross the reddening mountains and come back again?
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4145

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems on seeing the returning wild geese"
To the geese returning north in spring, the poet says they will surely come again over the autumn-colored mountains when the autumn wind blows, seeing them off in expectation of their return. Taking up the lonely homesickness of the preceding poem, he turns his thoughts to the comfort that the seasons will bring a reunion.
The text carries a variant note, "one version says: this goose that returns when spring comes," showing that the opening lines were also transmitted in that form. The main text is followed here.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.

First line, "haru makete" (spring having come), is the same phrase that opens 4141 in this book, marking the arrival of the spring season.
Second line, "kaku kaeru tomo" (even though they return thus): "tomo" is a concessive conditional, taking up the geese's departure in the preceding poem.
Third line, "akikaze ni" (in the autumn wind), shifts time broadly from the spring of departure to the autumn of return, showing the cycle of the seasons.
Fourth line, "momitamu yama o" (over mountains that will turn red): "momitsu" means to turn autumn colors, and the conjectural "mu" points to mountains that will be colored when autumn comes.
Fifth line, "koe kozarame ya" (would they not come over them?): "ya" is rhetorical, expressing strong conviction that the geese will surely come.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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