Amanogawa ito kawanami wa tatanedomo samorai katashi chikaki kono se o

天の川いと川波は立たねども
さもらひかたし近きこの瀬を

Roma-ji: Amanogawa ito kawanami wa tatanedomo samorai katashi chikaki kono se o
English Translation: The River of Heaven:
though its waves are not so high
as to bar my way,
how hard it is to wait
at these shallows lying so near
Meaning: The waves on the River of Heaven are not so very high, yet how hard it is to wait for the moment to cross, though these shallows lie so near.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1524

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Twelve poems on the Tanabata festival by Yamanoue no Omi Okura"
From the standpoint of the Herdsman, the poem says that although the waves of the River of Heaven are not so high and the shallows are near, it is hard to keep waiting for the moment to cross. It expresses the frustration of having to await the appointed day even though the crossing seems within reach. The note assigns it to a gathering at the Governor-General's house on the night of the eighth day of the seventh month of Tenpyō 2 (730).
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 first line names the river that separates the pair.
In the second line, "ito," followed by a negative, means "not so very."
The third line, with the concessive "domo," means "though they do not rise."
In the fourth line, "samorau" means to watch and wait for an opportunity; the line states that waiting is hard, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "these shallows so near," stresses the nearness at the end by inversion, sharpening the lament of being unable to cross though so close.
Author: Yamanoue no Okura
Source: Manyoshu
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