Haru no uchi no tanoshiki oe wa ume no hana taori okitsutsu asobu ni arubeshi

春のうちの楽しき終は梅の花
手折り招きつつ遊ぶにあるべし

Roma-ji: Haru no uchi no tanoshiki oe wa ume no hana taori okitsutsu asobu ni arubeshi
English Translation: Of all within spring,
the very height of pleasure—
plum blossoms in hand,
beckoning while we break them,
must surely be to make merry
Meaning: The greatest of all spring's pleasures must surely be this: to break off plum blossoms and make merry, as though beckoning them to us.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4174

Headnote: "A poem composed in response to the poems on plum blossoms in the spring garden from the time of the Dazaifu in Tsukushi"
This poem responds, twenty years later, to the poems from the plum-blossom banquet held at the residence of Yakamochi's father, Ōtomo no Tabito, when he was Governor-General of Dazaifu, in the first month of 730 (Book Five). It praises the elegance of that banquet, saying that the height of spring's pleasures is to pick plum blossoms and make merry as though beckoning them near.
The left note says, "The above poem was composed on the twenty-seventh, on impulse," telling us it was written on the twenty-seventh of the third month. In Etchū, Yakamochi's thoughts of the Dazaifu banquet of his father's day take the form of a responding poem.
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 no uchi no" (within spring), takes a viewpoint that sums up the pleasures of the season.
Second line, "tanoshiki oe wa" (the height of pleasure): "oe" means the end or the utmost, presenting the theme of what is most delightful.
Third line, "ume no hana" (plum blossoms), places at the center the flower that symbolizes the plum-blossom banquet.
Fourth line, "taori okitsutsu" (picking and beckoning): "oku" means to beckon, depicting the enjoyment of breaking off plum branches as though summoning them near.
Fifth line, "asobu ni arubeshi" (must be to make merry), is hypermetric; "beshi" expresses confident conjecture, closing with the firm statement that this is the height of pleasure.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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