Chidori naku saho no kawato no se o hiromi uchihashi watasu na ga ku to omoeba

千鳥鳴く佐保の川門の瀬を広み
打橋渡す汝が来と思へば

Roma-ji: Chidori naku saho no kawato no se o hiromi uchihashi watasu na ga ku to omoeba
English Translation: Where the plovers cry,
at the Saho's crossing place,
since the shoals are wide,
I lay down a plank bridge there,
thinking that you'll come to me
Meaning: Where the plovers cry at the crossing of the Saho River, the shoals are wide, so I lay a plank bridge across, thinking that you will come.
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 528

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Four poems by Ōtomo no Iratsume in reply"
In the last of the four, the poet says that because the shoals at the Saho crossing are wide, she lays a plank bridge across, thinking he will come. After declaring in the preceding poem that she would not wait, she shows a heart that still awaits him and builds a bridge for him, portraying her wavering feelings. Opening like poem 526 with "where the plovers cry at Saho," it closes her replies with the scenery of the Saho River.
According to the left note, she was the daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro, the Saho Major Counselor; she first married Prince Hozumi and enjoyed his favor, and after his death was courted by Fujiwara no Maro. Because she lived in the village of Sakanoue, she was called Lady Sakanoue.
The author, Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, was a daughter of Ōtomo no Yasumaro and half-sister of Ōtomo no Tabito. She left many poems in the Man'yōshū and is esteemed as a leading woman poet.

First line, "Where the plovers cry," is the same line as in poem 526 of this book, calling up the scenery of the Saho River.
Second line, "at the Saho's crossing place," names kawato, a spot where the banks draw close and the river is easy to cross.
Third line, "since the shoals are wide," uses the construction o ... mi to give a reason: because the shallows are broad.
Fourth line, "I lay down a plank bridge there," names uchihashi, a simple bridge of laid boards, and the act of setting it across. The poem breaks after this line.
Fifth line, "thinking that you'll come to me," gives by inversion the reason for the bridge, revealing that, though she said "I will not wait," she is in truth awaiting him.
Author: Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue
Source: Manyoshu
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