Koto naraba oritsukushi temu ume no hana waga matsu hito no kite mo minaku ni - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

ことならば折りつくしてむ梅の花
我が待つ人の来ても見なくに

Roma-ji: Koto naraba oritsukushi temu ume no hana waga matsu hito no kite mo minaku ni
English Translation: If it is the same,
I shall break off every one,
these blossoms of plum,
since the one for whom I wait
will never come to see them
Meaning: If it comes to the same thing, I shall break off every plum blossom, since the one I wait for never comes to see them.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 24

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown."
If the one the poet waits for will not come to see them, then the plum blossoms may as well all be broken off. Frustration and resentment toward the one who does not come are turned upon the act of breaking the flowers.
The poet is listed as "anonymous," and the composer's name has not come down to us.

The first line, "If it is the same," means "if it comes to the same thing, then."
In the second line, "temu" expresses firm intention. It is the same phrase as the last line of the preceding poem, 23, and the two poems form a pair. The poem pauses here.
The third line, "these blossoms of plum," names what is to be broken off.
The fourth line, "the one for whom I wait," names the person whose visit is longed for.
In the last line, "naku ni" gives the reason: "since they do not come." Where the preceding poem surmised that no one would come, this one laments that the awaited person does not, making the feeling more urgent.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Kite mibeki hito mo araji na waga yado no ume no hatsuhana oritsukushi temu
Next Poem: Fuku kaze ni chirazu mo aranamu ume no hana waga karigoromo hitoyo yadosamu