Kumogakuri yukue o nami to aga kouru tsuki o ya kimi ga mimaku hori suru

雲隠り去方をなみと我が恋ふる
月をや君が見まく欲りする

Roma-ji: Kumogakuri yukue o nami to aga kouru tsuki o ya kimi ga mimaku hori suru
English Translation: Hidden in the clouds,
since I cannot tell its way,
the one I long for,
that moon—is it you as well
who so wish to look on it?
Meaning: The moon I long for, hidden in the clouds so that I cannot tell where it has gone—do you, too, wish to look upon it?
Commentary: Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 984

Headnote: "A poem on the moon by a young woman of the province of Buzen (her name was Ōyake; her family name is unknown)"
The poem asks whether the other person, too, wishes to see the moon that the speaker longs for, hidden in the clouds so that she cannot tell where it has gone. In this book, from 980 through 987, eight poems on the moon by different poets are arranged in succession. This is the fifth of them, composed by a young woman of the province of Buzen.
She asks whether "you" share the same longing she feels for the moon hidden in the clouds. It is a poem that seeks to share the heart that waits for the moon, and within the sequence it focuses on the communion of hearts between those who look at the moon.
The poet, Ōyake, a young woman of Buzen, was a woman of the province of Buzen (present eastern Fukuoka and northern Ōita Prefectures). A note in the headnote says that her name was Ōyake and that her family name is unknown.

The opening "Hidden in the clouds" uses the same word as "The road to Yamato is hidden now in the clouds" in 966. It also resonates with "Rain-sheltered" in 980 at the beginning of the sequence, sharing the idea of longing for a moon that is hidden from sight.
The first line, "Hidden in the clouds," means that the moon is concealed by clouds and cannot be seen.
The second line, "since I cannot tell its way," means "because I do not know where it has gone." "Nami" adds "mi" to the adjective "nashi" to express a reason. It shows the frustration of not knowing where the moon has gone.
The third line, "the one I long for," means "which I long for" and modifies "moon" in the next line. It shows the feeling of yearning for the moon as for a beloved.
The fourth line, "that moon—is it you as well," means "the moon, you ..." "Ya" is an interrogative binding particle resolved by "hori suru" in the final line.
The final line, "who so wish to look on it?" means "wish to see." "Mimaku" means "seeing," and the line closes in the attributive "hori suru" in response to the binding particle "ya" in the fourth line.
Author: Ōyake, a young woman of Buzen
Source: Manyoshu
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