Kimi ga yuki moshi hisa ni araba ume yanagi tare to tomo ni ka waga kazurakamu

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誰れとともにか我がかづらかむ

Roma-ji: Kimi ga yuki moshi hisa ni araba ume yanagi tare to tomo ni ka waga kazurakamu
English Translation: If your journey, friend,
should be long in its returning,
plum and willow sprays—
with whom then, I wonder, shall I
wear them twined in my hair?
Meaning: If your journey should keep you away long, with whom shall I wear sprays of plum and willow in my hair?
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4238

Headnote: "A poem composed at a banquet held at the governor's residence on the second day of the second month"
Composed at a farewell banquet for Kume no Hironawa, going up to the capital with the tax-rice accounts, it laments the parting: if your journey should be long, with whom shall I wear plum and willow in my hair? Through the loneliness of losing a friend with whom to enjoy spring flowers, it shows affection for Hironawa.
The left note says, "The above: the Secretary Kume no Ason Hironawa was about to go to the capital with the tax-rice accounts, so the Governor Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi composed this poem. However, in the climate of Etchū, plum blossoms and willow catkins first bloom only in the third month," noting the seasonal difference from the capital.
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, "kimi ga yuki" (your journey): "yuki" means a departure or journey, referring to Hironawa's trip to the capital.
Second line, "moshi hisa ni araba" (if it should be long), is hypermetric; "moshi" strengthens the hypothetical.
Third line, "ume yanagi" (plum and willow), names the spring adornments to be enjoyed together.
Fourth line, "tare to tomo ni ka" (with whom?): "ka" binds with the last line, posing the question.
Fifth line, "waga kazurakamu" (shall I wear them in my hair): "kazuraku" means to wear as a hair ornament, concluding in the attributive "mu."
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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