Aratama no toshi no heyukeba adomou to yo wataru ware o tou hito ya tare

あらたまの年の経ゆけばあどもふと
夜渡る我れを問ふ人や誰れ

Roma-ji: Aratama no toshi no heyukeba adomou to yo wataru ware o tou hito ya tare
English Translation: As the years go by,
new as jewels still untouched,
leading on my flock,
I who cross the night sky here—
who is it that calls to me?
Meaning: As the years go by, who is it that calls out to me as I lead my flock across the night sky?
Commentary: Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2140

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Wild Geese"
This poem is taken to be in the voice of the geese, asking who calls out to them as they lead their flock across the night sky with the passing years. Taking up the preceding poem, in which the geese's cry was heard as announcing their names, it turns the question back on people from the geese's side, reversing the viewpoint within the group.

The first line, "aratama no," is a pillow word attached to "year."
The second line, "as the years go by," names the passing time.
In the third line, "adomou to," "adomou" is taken to mean to lead or gather.
The fourth line, "me who cross by night," shows the geese's viewpoint.
In the last line, "tou hito ya tare," "ya" is an interrogative particle, closing by asking back who calls.
Source: Manyoshu
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