Sode furaba mi mo kawashitsubeku chikakedomo wataru sube nashi aki ni shi araneba

袖振らば見も交しつべく近けども
渡るすべなし秋にしあらねば

Roma-ji: Sode furaba mi mo kawashitsubeku chikakedomo wataru sube nashi aki ni shi araneba
English Translation: If I waved my sleeves,
we could see each other's face,
so near though we are,
there is no way to cross,
for it is not autumn yet
Meaning: So near are we that if we waved our sleeves we could see each other, yet there is no way to cross, for it is not yet that autumn night.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1525

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Twelve poems on the Tanabata festival by Yamanoue no Omi Okura"
The lovers are so close that they could see each other by waving their sleeves, yet since it is not the autumn night when meeting is allowed, there is no way to cross. The sorrow of two who are near enough to be seen yet must await the appointed time is expressed here. 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 means "if I were to wave my sleeves," a gesture that conveyed farewell or love.
The second line means "near enough to see each other."
The third line, with the concessive "domo," means "though we are near."
The fourth line states that there is no way to cross, and the poem pauses here.
The final line, with the emphatic "shi," means "since it is not the autumn when meeting is allowed," giving the reason at the end by inversion.
Author: Yamanoue no Okura
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Amanogawa ito kawanami wa tatanedomo samorai katashi chikaki kono se o
Next Poem: Tamakagiru honoka ni miete wakarenaba motona ya koimu au toki made wa