Imo ga atari shigeki karigane yūgiri ni kinakite suginu subenaki made ni

妹があたり繁き雁が音夕霧に
来鳴きて過ぎぬすべなきまでに

Roma-ji: Imo ga atari shigeki karigane yūgiri ni kinakite suginu subenaki made ni
English Translation: Near my darling's home
the wild geese crying thick and fast
through the evening mist
came calling and have passed away,
leaving me beyond all help.
Meaning: The geese that cry so often near my beloved's home came calling through the evening mist and passed on, leaving me helpless with longing.
Commentary: Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems 1702

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Three poems presented to Prince Yuge"
The geese that cry so often near his beloved's house come calling through the evening mist and fly on, leaving the speaker helplessly stirred. The cries of the geese awaken his longing for the one he loves.
This is the second of three poems presented to Prince Yuge. It continues the cries of geese from the preceding poem but shifts the scene from a clear moonlit night to evening mist.
The author, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, was a court poet active in the reigns of Jitō and Monmu. This poem is taken from the Hitomaro Collection, which is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he gathered. Prince Yuge was a son of Emperor Tenmu and died in the third year of Monmu (699).

The first line, "near my darling's home," runs to six syllables.
The second line, "the wild geese crying thick and fast," uses karigane, as in the third line of 1701.
The third line, "through the evening mist," sets the scene.
The fourth line, "came calling and have passed away," pauses the poem.
The final line, "leaving me beyond all help," gives the speaker's distress at the end in inversion.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Sayonaka to yo wa fukenu rashi kari ga ne no kikoyuru sora yu tsuki wataru miyu
Next Poem: Kumogakuri kari naku toki wa akiyama no momichi katamatsu toki wa suguredo