Hisakata no ame wa furishiku nadeshiko ga iya hatsuhana ni koishiki waga se

ひさかたの雨は降りしくなでしこが
いや初花に恋しき我が背

Roma-ji: Hisakata no ame wa furishiku nadeshiko ga iya hatsuhana ni koishiki waga se
English Translation: From the far-off sky
the rain keeps falling steadily;
like the pinks' first bloom
ever fresh and new each time,
dear to me are you, my friend
Meaning: The rain keeps falling. Like the first blossoms of the pinks, ever fresh, you are dearer to me each time, my friend.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4443

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the ninth day of the fifth month, a banquet at the residence of the Junior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs, Ōtomo no Yakamochi; four poems."
The rain keeps falling; like the pinks' first bloom, you grow dearer and fresher to me, my friend: the host's answer to his guest's praise. The left note attributes it to Yakamochi. Taking up the preceding poem's pinks unchanged by rain, he uses the same rain and pinks to return his affection to his guest, Imaki.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, son of Ōtomo no Tabito, was at this time Junior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs.

The first line, "hisakata no," is a pillow word for "rain."
The second line, "ame wa furishiku," "the rain falls steadily," takes up "though rain falls" from the preceding poem. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "nadeshiko ga," takes up the pinks of the preceding poem.
The fourth line, "iya hatsuhana ni," "ever like first blossoms," expresses a feeling fresh at every meeting.
The closing line, "koishiki waga se," ends on a noun, "my dear friend," showing his affection for Imaki.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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