Ume no hana ima wa sakari ni narinuran tanomeshi hito no otozure mo senu - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

梅の花今は盛りになりぬらん
頼めし人のおとづれもせぬ

Roma-ji: Ume no hana ima wa sakari ni narinuran tanomeshi hito no otozure mo senu
English Translation: The blossoms of plum
by now must be at their height,
or so I suppose;
yet the one who gave his word
sends no word to me at all
Meaning: By now the plum blossoms must be at their height, yet the one who promised to send word has sent me nothing at all.
Commentary: Book One Spring Poems I 38

Headnote: "Visiting the house of an acquaintance, he saw a plum tree there; the host said, 'When these blossoms open, I will surely send you word,' but no word came."
A friend had promised to tell him without fail when the plum bloomed, yet no message came, so the poet prods him, saying the blossoms must surely be at their peak by now. While imagining the plum in full bloom, he gently reproaches the friend who forgot his promise.
According to the headnote, he visited the house of an acquaintance where there was a plum tree, and was told he would surely be informed when it bloomed, but no word came. The next poem is the reply from that person, Ki no Haseo.
The poet, called "the Suzaku-in Prince Minister of War," is thought to be Prince Tokiyo. He was a son of Emperor Uda, served as Minister of War, and later took holy orders.

The first line, "The blossoms of plum," names the plum at the friend's house that was the subject of the promise.
The second line, "by now must be at their height," counts the days and surmises the peak of bloom.
In the third line, "ran" is a present conjecture, imagining the plum in full flower out of sight. The poem pauses here.
In the fourth line, "tanomu," conjugated in the lower bigrade, means "to make someone rely on," pointing to the one who promised and raised his hopes.
The last line, "sends no word to me at all," ends with the attributive "nu," leaving his displeasure as a lingering echo.
Author: Prince Tokiyo
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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