Fuji no ne o takami kashikomi amakumo mo iyuki habakari tanabiku mono o

富士の嶺を高み畏み天雲も
い行きはばかりたなびくものを

Roma-ji: Fuji no ne o takami kashikomi amakumo mo iyuki habakari tanabiku mono o
English Translation: The peak of Fuji,
so lofty and so awesome,
that heaven's clouds too
hesitate to pass it by,
and linger trailing there.
Meaning: So high and awe-inspiring is the peak of Fuji that even the clouds of heaven hesitate to pass and hang trailing about it.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 321

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem with tanka on Mount Fuji" — "Envoy"
This is the second envoy to the long poem on Mount Fuji. Awed by Fuji's height and majesty, even the clouds crossing the sky hesitate and linger about the mountain—the clouds are personified to praise Fuji's grandeur. A left note says the poem comes from among the poems of Takahashi no Muraji Mushimaro and is placed here because of its similar theme. The phrase "heaven's clouds too hesitate to pass" coincides with a line in Yamabe no Akahito's long poem on Fuji, shared as an expression of praise for the mountain.
The author is not named in the headnote, but the left note says this group comes from among the poems of Takahashi no Muraji Mushimaro and is placed here because of its similar theme, so it is attributed to Mushimaro.
The poet, Takahashi no Mushimaro, was a Nara-period poet thought to have served in the province of Hitachi; because he composed many long poems on the legends of the eastern provinces, he is known as a poet of legends.

First line "The peak of Fuji" names the summit.
Second line "so lofty and so awesome": o ... mi expresses cause.
Third line "that heaven's clouds too": mo implies "not only people but even the clouds."
Fourth line "hesitate to pass it by": i is a prefix, and habakaru means to hold back.
Fifth line "and linger trailing there": mono o expresses wonder, ending in praise of Fuji's majesty.
Author: Takahashi no Mushimaro
Source: Manyoshu
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