Kimi ga fune ima kogikurashi amanogawa kiri tachiwataru kono kawa no se ni

君が舟今漕ぎ来らし天の川
霧立ちわたるこの川の瀬に

Roma-ji: Kimi ga fune ima kogikurashi amanogawa kiri tachiwataru kono kawa no se ni
English Translation: Your boat, it would seem,
now is rowing its way here;
the Heavenly River—
all across it rises mist
on the shallows of this stream.
Meaning: Your boat seems to be rowing this way now, for mist is spreading over the shallows of the Heavenly River.
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2045

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem, in the Weaver's voice, sees mist spreading over the shallows of the Heavenly River and infers that the Herdsman's boat is rowing this way. Like the preceding poem it sings of the mist-filled Heavenly River, treating the mist as a sign of the boat's approach. Whereas the preceding poem knew of his crossing by the sound of oars, this one knows by the mist, contrasting hearing and sight.

The first line, "your boat," refers to the Herdsman's boat.
In the second line, "ima kogikurashi," "rashi" marks grounded inference, and the poem breaks here.
The third line, "the Heavenly River," names the river the boat crosses.
The fourth line, "mist spreading across," is the same as the second line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "on the shallows of this river," closes with the scene that grounds the inference.
Source: Manyoshu
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