Uruwashimi aga mou kimi wa nadeshiko ga hana ni nasoete miredo akanu kamo

うるはしみ我が思ふ君はなでしこが
花になそへて見れど飽かぬかも

Roma-ji: Uruwashimi aga mou kimi wa nadeshiko ga hana ni nasoete miredo akanu kamo
English Translation: You, whom I esteem
in my heart as fine and fair,
when I liken you
to the blossoms of the pinks,
I can never see enough
Meaning: You whom I admire so, when I liken you to the pinks and gaze, I can never have enough of looking at you.
Commentary: Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4451

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On the eighteenth day, the Minister of the Left held a banquet at the residence of the Minister of Military Affairs, Tachibana no Naramaro; three poems."
You whom I so admire, likened to the pinks, I can never see enough of: a poem praising the host, Naramaro. The left note says it is the second of two poems that Ōtomo no Yakamochi composed afterward. As if answering Prince Fune's poem, which wished to gaze on the host like a pink held in the hand, it likens the host to the same flower in praise.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, son of Ōtomo no Tabito, was at this time Junior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs.

The first line, "uruwashimi," "because I find you fine," uses mi of cause.
The second line, "aga mou kimi wa," "you whom I hold dear," refers to the host, Naramaro.
The third line, "nadeshiko ga," names the pinks sung of throughout the set.
The fourth line, "hana ni nasoete," "likening you to the flowers," is the same line Yakamochi used in his Tanabata poem in this book.
The closing line, "miredo akanu kamo," "I never tire of looking," is a stock ending for praising a host.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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