Kyō no tame to omoite shimeshi ashihiki no onoe no sakura kaku sakinikeri

今日のためと思ひて標しあしひきの
峰の上の桜かく咲きにけり

Roma-ji: Kyō no tame to omoite shimeshi ashihiki no onoe no sakura kaku sakinikeri
English Translation: Thinking of today,
the cherries I marked for us
on the mountain's
lofty peak, the foot-dragging—
see how they have come to bloom
Meaning: Thinking of today's gathering, I marked out the cherry trees on the mountaintop—and look how splendidly they have bloomed.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4151

Headnote: "Three poems from a banquet at the residence of the Governor, Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi, on the third day"
At a banquet held at the governor's residence for the festival of the third day of the third month, the host, Yakamochi, welcomes his guests with this poem. Delighting that the mountain cherries he had marked out for this day's banquet have bloomed so splendidly, he expresses his hospitality.
The third-month festival came from China; people purified themselves at the waterside and held banquets such as the winding-stream party. All three banquet poems are composed in celebration of this festival.
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, "kyō no tame to" (thinking it for today), is hypermetric and puts "today," the day of the banquet, first, foregrounding the spirit of hospitality.
Second line, "omoite shimeshi" (I marked out): "shimu" means to set a sign of possession, showing that the poet had picked out the cherries in advance.
Third line, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word modifying "onoe" (the peak).
Fourth line, "onoe no sakura" (the cherries on the peak): "onoe" refers to the area at the top of the mountain, and the cherries blooming far off on the heights are made part of the banquet scene.
Fifth line, "kaku sakinikeri" (how they have bloomed!): "keri" is exclamatory, closing with the joy of noticing that they are blooming like this now.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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