Kasugano ni itsuku mimoro no ume no hana sakaete arimate kaerikuru made

春日野に斎く三諸の梅の花
栄えてあり待て帰りくるまで

Roma-ji: Kasugano ni itsuku mimoro no ume no hana sakaete arimate kaerikuru made
English Translation: On Kasuga Plain
at the shrine where gods are served,
O plum blossoms,
flourish still and wait for me
until I come home again
Meaning: Plum blossoms of the sacred shrine on Kasuga Plain, keep flourishing and wait for me until I come home again.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4241

Headnote: "A poem by the Ambassador, Fujiwara no Ason Kiyokawa"
As if answering Empress Kōmyō's preceding poem, Kiyokawa calls to the plum blossoms of the shrine on Kasuga Plain to keep flourishing and wait until he returns. Before the embassy's departure, rites for a safe voyage were held at Kasuga, and he entrusts his hope of return to the plum trees there.
Since Kiyokawa never came home and died in Tang, later readers hear this poem with poignant resonance. The embassy to Tang China led by Fujiwara no Kiyokawa as ambassador was appointed in 750 and sailed from Naniwa in 752.
The poet, Fujiwara no Kiyokawa, was a son of Fujiwara no Fusasaki and a nephew of Empress Kōmyō. He crossed to Tang China as ambassador, but his homeward ship was wrecked, he returned to Tang, and he died there without ever coming home.

First line, "Kasugano ni" (on Kasuga Plain), names the place in Nara where rites for safe voyage were held.
Second line, "itsuku mimoro no" (of the sacred shrine where gods are worshiped): "itsuku" means to worship with purity, and "mimoro" a place where a god descends.
Third line, "ume no hana" (plum blossoms), names the shrine's plum trees addressed by the poet.
Fourth line, "sakaete arimate" (flourish and wait on), is hypermetric; "arimatsu" means to keep waiting, an imperative.
Fifth line, "kaerikuru made" (until I come home), gives the term of waiting last by inversion.
Author: Fujiwara no Kiyokawa
Source: Manyoshu
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