Tōku arite kumoi ni miyuru imo ga ie ni hayaku itaramu ayume kurokoma

遠くありて雲居に見ゆる妹が家に
早く至らむ歩め黒駒

Roma-ji: Tōku arite kumoi ni miyuru imo ga ie ni hayaku itaramu ayume kurokoma
English Translation: Far away it lies,
seen there where the clouds hang low,
my beloved's house;
soon, soon I would reach its door—
step on, my black steed, step on!
Meaning: My beloved's house lies far away, seen where the clouds hang low—I would reach it soon. Walk on, my black horse!
Commentary: Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1271

Headnote: "On the Road"
Eager to reach his wife's house, seen far off where the clouds hang, the poet urges his black horse to walk on. His impatience, with the house in sight yet still far away, is frankly expressed.
It is the one poem under the heading "On the Road." The left note says, "The one poem above comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection." The eastern poem 3441 in Book Fourteen, "My darling's house, seen far off where the clouds hang, when shall I reach it? Walk on, my horse," is almost the same, and its left note quotes this poem as one from the Hitomaro Collection.

The first line, "Far away it lies," has an extra syllable.
The second line, "seen there where the clouds hang low," means visible in the far distance.
The third line, "my beloved's house," also has an extra syllable.
The fourth line, "soon, soon I would reach its door," expresses his intention, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "step on, my black steed," calls to the horse with an imperative and ends on a noun.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Komoriku no Hatsuse no yama ni teru tsuki wa michikake shikeri hito no tsune naki
Next Poem: Ima tsukuru madara no koromo omokage ni ware ni omōyu imada kinedomo