Toki goto ni iya mezurashiku saku hana o ori mo orazu mo miraku shi yoshi mo

時ごとにいやめづらしく咲く花を
折りも折らずも見らくしよしも

Roma-ji: Toki goto ni iya mezurashiku saku hana o ori mo orazu mo miraku shi yoshi mo
English Translation: With every season
ever more delightful,
the flowers that bloom—
whether plucked or left unplucked,
how good it is to see them
Meaning: Flowers that bloom with fresh delight in every season—whether I pick them or leave them be, what joy it is simply to look at them.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4167

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem on the cuckoo and the flowers of the season, with short poems"; envoys, two poems
The first envoy to the long poem on the cuckoo and the flowers of the season, it says that flowers that bloom with fresh beauty each season are a joy to look at, whether one picks them or not. It uses the long poem's opening words, "toki goto ni iya mezurashiku," as its first two lines, taking up the flower portion of the long poem.
The left note says, "The above were composed in advance on the twentieth, on impulse, though the season had not yet come," telling us they were written on the twentieth of the third month ahead of the season.
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, "toki goto ni" (with every season), takes up the first line of the long poem unchanged.
Second line, "iya mezurashiku" (ever more delightful): "iya" means more and more, and "mezurashi" means captivating or fresh, praising the new beauty of each season's flowers.
Third line, "saku hana o" (the flowers that bloom), points to the seasonal flowers in front of the poet.
Fourth line, "ori mo orazu mo" (whether picked or not), sets the two options side by side, leading to the feeling that either way is a pleasure.
Fifth line, "miraku shi yoshi mo" (how good it is to see): "miraku" means the act of seeing, "shi" is emphatic, and "mo" exclamatory, closing with the joy of looking at flowers.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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