Hatsusegawa yū watarikite wagimoko ga ie no kanato ni chikazuki ni keri

泊瀬川夕渡り来て我妹子が
家の金門に近づきにけり

Roma-ji: Hatsusegawa yū watarikite wagimoko ga ie no kanato ni chikazuki ni keri
English Translation: The Hatsuse River
I have crossed at eventide,
and now my darling's
house and its gate of metal
I have come so near at last.
Meaning: Crossing the Hatsuse River at dusk, I have drawn near at last to the gate of my beloved's house.
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems 1775

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Two poems presented to Prince Toneri"
Crossing the Hatsuse River at dusk, the speaker has at last drawn near to his beloved's gate. The rising excitement as the gate comes closer is packed into a simple statement.
This is the second of two poems presented to Prince Toneri. Against the lament of the waiting woman in the preceding poem, this one is sung by a man going to visit a woman, so that the two form a pair of the one who waits and the one who comes. According to the left note, the three poems from 1773 to this one come from the Hitomaro Collection.
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.

The first line, "the Hatsuse River," names the river flowing through Hase in Sakurai, Nara.
The second line, "I have crossed at eventide," reflects that courtship visits took place from evening into night.
The third line, "and now my darling's," refers to his beloved wife.
The fourth line, "house and its gate of metal," shows the man reaching the woman's gate, the counterpart of the waiting woman in the preceding poem.
The final line, "I have come so near at last," uses the perfective ni and exclamatory keri to express the feeling of having finally arrived.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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