Kumo no ue ni naku naru kari no tōkedomo kimi ni awamu to tamotōri kitsu

雲の上に鳴くなる雁の遠けども
君に逢はむとた廻り来つ

Roma-ji: Kumo no ue ni naku naru kari no tōkedomo kimi ni awamu to tamotōri kitsu
English Translation: Above the clouds, far,
like the geese I hear crying,
far though the way is,
hoping, my lord, to meet you,
I have come the long way round
Meaning: Though the way is as far as the geese crying above the clouds, I have come the long way round to see you.
Commentary: Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1574

Headnote: "Seven poems from a banquet at the house of the Minister of the Right, Tachibana"
Though the way is as far as the geese crying above the clouds, the poet says he has come the long way round to meet his host. A greeting sung at a banquet at the house of the Minister of the Right, Tachibana no Moroe, it expresses respect for the host and the joy of the visit. The note gives "the twentieth day of the eighth month of Tenpyō 10 (738)," and this is the first of the seven poems from that day's banquet.
The note says only "the above two poems," the author's name being missing, so the author is unknown. The host, Tachibana no Moroe, was a son of Prince Minu, and his mother was Agata no Inukai no Michiyo. Leaving the imperial family, he took the surname Tachibana and rose to Minister of the Right and later of the Left.

The first line, with an extra syllable, names the high, far place above the clouds.
In the second line, "naru" is an auxiliary of inference from sound. The first two lines form a preface leading to "far."
The third line means "though it is far."
The fourth line, "hoping to meet you," refers to the host of the banquet.
In the final line, "tamotōru" means to take a roundabout way, and the line closes with the perfective "tsu." It shows that he came without minding the long road, expressing respect for the host. The next poem also begins "above the clouds," so two poems of the same banquet stand side by side with the same line.
Source: Manyoshu
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