Yamabuki no hana no sakari ni kaku no goto kimi o mimaku wa chitose ni mo ga mo

山吹の花の盛りにかくのごと
君を見まくは千年にもがも

Roma-ji: Yamabuki no hana no sakari ni kaku no goto kimi o mimaku wa chitose ni mo ga mo
English Translation: When the yamabuki
is at the height of its bloom,
just as we do now,
to see you, my lord, like this,
would that it last a thousand years
Meaning: To see you, my lord, like this, when the yamabuki is in full bloom: how I wish it could go on for a thousand years.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4304

Headnote: "On the twenty-fifth day of the same month, the Minister of the Left, Lord Tachibana, held a banquet at the residence of Lady Yamada, the imperial nurse; one poem."
To see you like this when the yamabuki is in full bloom, may it last a thousand years: a poem of blessing for the Minister of the Left, Tachibana no Moroe. According to the headnote, it belongs to a banquet held on the twenty-fifth day of the third month of Tenpyō Shōhō 6 at the residence of the imperial nurse Yamada. The left note says that Yakamochi composed it on seeing the flowers of the season, but the minister left the banquet before it could be presented, so it was never recited.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, son of Ōtomo no Tabito, was at this time Junior Counselor. The imperial nurse Yamada is Yamada no Hime-shima, wet nurse of Empress Kōken.

The first line, "yamabuki no," takes up the same yamabuki as the two preceding poems, carrying over the flower of the third-month banquets.
The second line, "hana no sakari ni," gives the season of the banquet and lays the guest of honor's flourishing over the flowers.
The third line, "kaku no goto," "like this," points to the banquet scene before his eyes.
The fourth line, "kimi o mimaku wa," uses mimaku, a nominal form of mu: "to see you." Kimi refers to Tachibana no Moroe.
The closing line, "chitose ni mo ga mo," ends in the wishing particle mogamo, blessing the minister: may it last a thousand years.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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