classic waka stream

久方の天の川原にぬえ鳥の
うら歎げましつすべなきまでに
Roma-ji

Hisakata no ama no kawara ni nuedori no uranagemashitsu subenaki made ni

English Translation
Far away the sky,
on the Heavenly River's shore,
like the nue bird
sadly grieving in the heart,
till it seemed beyond all help.
Meaning
On the shore of the Heavenly River, like the nue bird crying in the night, they grieved within their hearts, beyond all consolation.
Commentary
Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1997

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem depicts someone on the shore of the Heavenly River grieving within the heart, helplessly, like the mournful cry of the nue bird. The grief of the star while waiting for the day of meeting is likened to the cry of the nue bird. Since it uses the honorific "nagemashi," it seems to sing the grief of the Herdsman or the Weaver from a third person's position. Whereas the preceding poem anticipated the meeting, this one sings of the grief while apart.
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, "hisakata no," is a pillow word attached to "heaven."
The second line, "on the shore of the Heavenly River," sets the scene.
The third line, "nuedori no," the White's thrush, which cries mournfully at night, is a pillow word leading into "uranagu."
In the fourth line, "uranagemashitsu," "ura" means heart, "mashi" is the honorific auxiliary "masu," and "tsu" marks completion: grieved within their heart.
The last line, "subenaki made ni," to the point of helplessness, sets by inversion the depth of grief at the end.
Author
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source
Manyoshu
Prev Poem
Amanogawa mizu sae ni teru fune hatete fune naru hito wa imo to mieki ya
Next Poem
Aga koi o tsuma wa shireru o yuku fune no sugite kubeshi ya koto mo tsuganamu