Na ga kouru imo no mikoto wa akidara ni sode furu mietsu kumogakuru made

汝が恋ふる妹の命は飽き足らに
袖振る見えつ雲隠るまで

Roma-ji: Na ga kouru imo no mikoto wa akidara ni sode furu mietsu kumogakuru made
English Translation: The wife you long for,
she, your lady, loath to part,
waving of her sleeves
could be seen by us, until
she was hidden in the clouds.
Meaning: The lady you long for, still unsatisfied, could be seen waving her sleeves until she vanished into the clouds.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2009

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem, addressed to the Herdsman by a third person, depicts the Weaver waving her sleeves reluctantly at parting. In the image of waving sleeves until hidden by clouds, the ache of the meeting's end is condensed. Waving sleeves was a gesture showing parting or 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.

The first line, "na ga kouru," whom you love, addresses the Herdsman.
In the second line, "imo no mikoto wa," "mikoto" is an honorific: your lady wife.
The third line, "akidara ni," means unsatisfied, reluctant to part.
In the fourth line, "sode furu mietsu," "tsu" marks completion: her waving sleeves were seen. The poem breaks here.
The last line, "until hidden by clouds," gives by inversion how long she waved.
Author: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Source: Manyoshu
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