Waga yado no hagi sakinikeri akikaze no fukamu o mataba ito tōmi kamo

我が宿の萩咲きにけり秋風の
吹かむを待たばいと遠みかも

Roma-ji: Waga yado no hagi sakinikeri akikaze no fukamu o mataba ito tōmi kamo
English Translation: In my own garden
the bush clover has bloomed—
for the autumn wind
to come blowing, if it waited,
would that be too long, I wonder?
Meaning: The bush clover in my garden has already bloomed—was waiting for the autumn wind to blow simply too long for it?
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4219

Headnote: none; the left note reads, "The above poem was composed on the fifteenth day of the sixth month on seeing early bush clover blossoms"
On the fifteenth day of the sixth month, still in summer, seeing the bush clover in his garden already in bloom, the poet wonders whether it bloomed because waiting for the autumn wind seemed far too long. He personifies the bush clover and imagines the heart of a flower unable to wait for autumn.
Bush clover is the quintessential autumn flower, and the poem shows surprise at an early bloom ahead of its season and Yakamochi's sensitivity to the turning of the seasons.
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, "waga yado no" (in my garden), sets the familiar scene of the poet's home.
Second line, "hagi sakinikeri" (the bush clover has bloomed): "keri" expresses realization and surprise; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "akikaze no" (of the autumn wind), names the season when bush clover should bloom.
Fourth line, "fukamu o mataba" (if it waited for it to blow): "ba" marks a hypothetical.
Fifth line, "ito tōmi kamo" (is it because it is too far?): "tōmi" means "since it is far," and "kamo" combines doubt and wonder, closing with a guess at the flower's heart.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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