Hashikeyashi majikaki sato o kumoi ni ya koitsutsu oramu tsuki mo henaku ni

はしけやし間近き里を雲居にや
恋ひつつ居らむ月も経なくに

Roma-ji: Hashikeyashi majikaki sato o kumoi ni ya koitsutsu oramu tsuki mo henaku ni
English Translation: Ah, how dear to me,
you in a village close at hand,
as if far as clouds
shall I go on longing so,
though not even a month has passed
Meaning: Ah, my dear one, you live in a village close at hand, yet am I to go on longing for you as if you were far off beyond the clouds, though not even a month has passed?
Commentary: Book Four Love Poems 640

Headnote: "Another poem sent by Prince Yuhara"
His beloved lives in a village close by, yet he laments that he must go on longing for her as though she were beyond the clouds. Not even a month has passed, he adds, conveying the impatience of love.
The author, Prince Yuhara, was a son of Prince Shiki and a poet of the Nara period known for the fresh clarity of his style.

First line, "Ah, how dear to me," is hashikeyashi, an exclamation of tenderness.
Second line, "you in a village close at hand," means the nearby village.
Third line, "as if far as clouds," names kumoi, the far place where clouds lie; ya is questioning, closed by mu in the fourth line.
Fourth line, "shall I go on longing so," means am I to keep on longing? The poem breaks after this line.
Fifth line, "though not even a month has passed," echoes "has a whole month passed?" in poem 638, again playing on long and short spans of time.
Author: Prince Yuhara
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Waga seko ga kaku koure koso nubatama no ime ni mietsutsu ineraezukere
Next Poem: Tayu to iwaba wabishimi semu to yakitachi no hetsukau koto wa sakiku ya aga kimi