Waga yuki wa hisa ni wa araji Ime no wada se ni wa narazute fuchi ni ari koso

我が行きは久にはあらじ夢のわだ
瀬にはならずて淵にありこそ

Roma-ji: Waga yuki wa hisa ni wa araji Ime no wada se ni wa narazute fuchi ni ari koso
English Translation: My stay far away
will not be long, I am sure—
Pool of Dreams, I pray,
do not turn into shallows,
but remain a deep pool still.
Meaning: My time away will not be long—Pool of Dreams, do not turn into shallows, but stay a deep pool until I come.
Commentary: Book Three Miscellaneous Poems 335

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Five poems by the Governor-General Lord Ōtomo"
This is the last of the five poems of the Governor-General Lord Ōtomo, closing the sequence. His service in Tsukushi should not be long, so he prays that the Pool of Dreams in Yoshino will not turn to shallows but remain a deep pool until he returns, hoping to see it again. The sequence moves from lament over age to wishes for home and ends in hope of returning to the capital. The Pool of Dreams is a deep pool near Miyataki in Yoshino.
The five poems of the Governor-General Lord Ōtomo form a sequence longing for the Nara capital and for his home, placed after the poems of Ono no Oyu and Ōtomo no Yotsuna.
The poet, Ōtomo no Tabito, was a son of Ōtomo no Yasumaro. He served as Middle Counselor and Governor-General of Dazaifu before rising to Great Counselor, and died in Tenpyō 3 (731). Steeped in Chinese letters, he was at the center of a poetic circle with Yamanoue no Okura and others while serving in Tsukushi.

First line "My stay far away" refers to his service in Tsukushi.
Second line "will not be long, I am sure": ji is negative conjecture, and the sentence breaks here.
Third line "Pool of Dreams, I pray": wada is a bend in a river where water lies still; Ime no wada is the name of a pool at Miyataki.
Fourth line "do not turn into shallows" means not to change into a shallow rapid.
Fifth line "but remain a deep pool still": koso expresses a wish, ending in hope for the day of return. The contrast of deep pool and shallows was also used as a figure for a changing world.
Author: Ōtomo no Tabito
Source: Manyoshu
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