Amanogawa aimuki tachite aga koishi kimi kimasu nari himo toki makena

天の川相向き立ちて我が恋ひし
君来ますなり紐解き設けな

Roma-ji: Amanogawa aimuki tachite aga koishi kimi kimasu nari himo toki makena
English Translation: The River of Heaven:
facing each other we stood,
and the one I've loved
now is coming, it would seem;
let me loosen my cords and wait
Meaning: The one I have longed for, standing face to face with me across the River of Heaven, is coming now, it seems; let me loosen my cords and wait.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1518

Headnote: "Twelve poems on the Tanabata festival by Yamanoue no Omi Okura"
Composed from the standpoint of the Weaver Maiden, the poem says that the Herdsman, whom she has longed for across the River of Heaven, seems to be coming at last, so she will loosen her robe's cords and prepare to receive him. It expresses the joy and expectancy of waiting for a meeting that comes but once a year. The note says, "The above was composed on the seventh day of the seventh month of Yōrō 8 (724) at command," showing it was written at the request of the crown prince. From here twelve Tanabata poems follow.
The author, Yamanoue no Okura, was an official and poet of the early Nara period. He went to Tang China as a member of an embassy and later became governor of Chikuzen. He is known for poems that look closely at human life and society.
The original text contains a note giving a variant, "facing the river," for the second line; as it is not part of the poem, it has been removed, and the text's reading is followed.

The first line names the river that separates the Weaver Maiden and the Herdsman.
The second line means "standing facing each other across the river."
The third line, "whom I have longed for," modifies "you" in the fourth line.
In the fourth line, "nari" is an auxiliary of inference from sound or signs: "you are coming, it seems." The poem pauses here.
The final line, with the volitional "na," means "let me loosen my cords and prepare to receive you."
Author: Yamanoue no Okura
Source: Manyoshu
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