Ōzora yu kayou ware sura na ga yue ni ama no kawaji o nazumite zo koshi

大空ゆ通ふ我れすら汝がゆゑに
天の川道をなづみてぞ来し

Roma-ji: Ōzora yu kayou ware sura na ga yue ni ama no kawaji o nazumite zo koshi
English Translation: Through the vast sky's span
I who pass freely to and fro,
even I, for you,
on the Heavenly River's road,
toiling hard, have made my way.
Meaning: Even I, who travel freely through the great sky, have come toiling along the road of the Heavenly River, all for your sake.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2001

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
In this poem the Herdsman tells the Weaver that even he, who passes freely through the great sky, has struggled along the road of the Heavenly River to meet her. The image of a heavenly star willing to bear hardship for love is overlaid with the human heart of love. Like "nazumi kome ya mo" in 1813 of the spring poems, it uses "nazumu" to express the toil undertaken for love.
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.

In the first line, "ōzora yu," "yu" marks the route: through the great sky.
In the second line, "kayou ware sura," "sura" means even: even I who pass freely through heaven.
The third line, "na ga yue ni," means for your sake.
The fourth line, "the road of the Heavenly River," is hypermetric.
In the last line, "nazumite zo koshi," "zo" is an emphatic particle answered by "shi," the attributive of the past "ki," stressing the toil of the journey.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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