Awanaku wa kenagaki mono o amanogawa hedatete mata ya aga koiioramu

逢はなくは日長きものを天の川
隔ててまたや我が恋ひ居らむ

Roma-ji: Awanaku wa kenagaki mono o amanogawa hedatete mata ya aga koiioramu
English Translation: The time we don't meet
is so long, so many days,
the Heavenly River
lying between us once more,
must I sit again and yearn?
Meaning: The days apart are so long—must I once again, with the Heavenly River between us, go on longing?
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2038

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem laments that though the days without meeting are long, the speaker must again go on longing across the Heavenly River. Like the preceding poem it ends with "aga koiioramu," repeating the lament over the long separation that begins again after the meeting. Whereas the preceding poem lamented longing from tomorrow, this one brings in the Heavenly River as the barrier, giving the separation concrete form.

In the first line, "awanaku wa," "awanaku" is the nominalized form of "awazu": not meeting.
In the second line, "kenagaki mono o," "mono o" is adversative: though the days are long. It is the same line as in 2017.
The third line, "the Heavenly River," names the river dividing the stars.
In the fourth line, "hedatete mata ya," "ya" is an interrogative particle in kakari-musubi with "mu" in the last line.
The last line, "aga koiioramu," is the same ending as the preceding poem, closing with a lament at longing begun anew.
Source: Manyoshu
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