Kawazu naku kiyoki kawara o kyō mite wa itsuka koekite mitsutsu shinowamu

かはづ鳴く清き川原を今日見ては
いつか越え来て見つつ偲はむ

Roma-ji: Kawazu naku kiyoki kawara o kyō mite wa itsuka koekite mitsutsu shinowamu
English Translation: Where the river frogs call
on these clear and shining sands,
having seen them today,
when again shall I cross the hills
to gaze and cherish them?
Meaning: Now that I have seen today these clear riverbanks where the river frogs sing, when shall I cross the hills again to gaze on them and delight in them?
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1106

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Rivers"
Having seen a clear riverbank where river frogs sing, the poet is loath to leave and wonders when he will cross the hills again to delight in this view. The joy of meeting a beautiful scene mingles with reluctance to part from it.
Placed after the poems on the Yoshino River in the group on rivers, it is thought to describe the riverbanks at Yoshino. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "Where the river frogs call," refers to the kajika frog, whose voice in clear streams was a symbol of pure rivers.
The second line, "on these clear and shining sands," means the pure riverbank.
The third line, "having seen them today," means "now that I have seen them."
In the fourth line, "when again shall I cross the hills," "ka" expresses doubt and is answered by "mu" in the final line.
In the final line, "shinou" here means to admire and delight in; the poet longs to return and gaze on the scene.
Source: Manyoshu
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