Amanogawa mizu sae ni teru fune hatete fune naru hito wa imo to mieki ya

天の川水さへに照る舟泊てて
舟なる人は妹と見えきや

Roma-ji: Amanogawa mizu sae ni teru fune hatete fune naru hito wa imo to mieki ya
English Translation: The Heavenly River,
even its waters shining,
a boat has come to shore;
the one who was in the boat,
did he meet his wife, I wonder?
Meaning: A boat has come to rest on the Heavenly River, whose very waters shine—did the one aboard get to meet his wife?
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1996

Headnote: "Autumn Miscellaneous Poems: Tanabata"
This poem wonders whether the one aboard the boat that has landed on the Heavenly River, its waters shining, namely the Herdsman Star, met his wife the Weaver Star. It stands at the head of the Autumn Miscellaneous Poems, and its headnote is "Tanabata." It is sung from the viewpoint of someone on earth watching over the meeting of the two stars, infusing the sparkling scene of the Heavenly River with anticipation of their joyful meeting. Here begins the long series of Tanabata poems that forms the core of the autumn miscellaneous section.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet of the Asuka period, active under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note records that this poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, and it is uncertain whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a poem by someone else that he recorded.

The first line, "the Heavenly River," names the river of heaven that separates the two Tanabata stars, a word repeated throughout the series.
In the second line, "mizu sae ni teru," "sae" expresses addition: even the water shines, showing the boat's radiance reflected on the river.
In the third line, "fune hatete," "hatsu" means that a boat arrives at a harbor or shore.
The fourth line, "the one in the boat," refers to the Herdsman Star.
In the last line, "imo to mieki ya," "miyu" means to meet, "ki" marks the past, and "ya" is a question, closing with thoughts of whether the meeting took place.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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