Akizuno ni asa iru kumo no useyukeba kinō mo kyō mo naki hito omōyu

秋津野に朝居る雲の失せゆけば
昨日も今日もなき人思ほゆ

Roma-ji: Akizuno ni asa iru kumo no useyukeba kinō mo kyō mo naki hito omōyu
English Translation: On Akizu moor
the clouds that linger at dawn
fade and pass away—
yesterday and today, too,
I think of the one who is gone
Meaning: When the clouds that rest at dawn on the moor of Akizu fade away, yesterday and today alike I think of the one who is gone.
Commentary: Book Seven Elegies 1406

Headnote: none (Elegies section)
Watching the clouds that rest at dawn on the moor of Akizu fade away, the poet thinks of the dead yesterday and today alike. The vanishing clouds are overlaid with the one who passed so briefly from the world, expressing a grief renewed each day.
It is the third poem in the elegy section and, following the preceding poem, again concerns the moor of Akizu. Where the preceding poem recalls the dead on hearing the moor's name, this one recalls the dead on seeing its clouds, making a pair of ear and eye. The poet is unknown.

The first line, "On Akizu moor," answers "Akizuno o" in the first line of the preceding poem.
The second line, "the clouds that linger at dawn," refers to clouds resting there in the morning.
The third line, "fade and pass away," means as they vanish.
The fourth line, "yesterday and today, too," expresses thoughts continuing day after day.
The final line, "I think of the one who is gone," means the dead comes to mind.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Akizuno o hito no kakureba asa makishi kimi ga omōete nageki wa yamazu
Next Poem: Komoriku no hatsuse no yama ni kasumi tachi tanabiku kumo wa imo ni ka mo aramu