Tonegawa no kawase mo shirazu tadawatari nami ni au nosu aeru kimi kamo

利根川の川瀬も知らず直渡り
波にあふのす逢へる君かも

Roma-ji: Tonegawa no kawase mo shirazu tadawatari nami ni au nosu aeru kimi kamo
English Translation: The river Tone—
not knowing where its shallows lay,
I waded straight across
and met a wave head-on—just so
did I meet with you, my love.
Meaning: Not knowing where the shallows of the Tone River lay, I waded straight across and met a wave head-on—that is how I met you.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3413

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Like wading straight across the Tone without knowing its shallows and meeting a wave, a woman says she met her lover by chance. The surprise of an unexpected encounter and the joy of its becoming a fated love are expressed.
It is one of the Kōzuke poems. The Tone is the great river that flows out of Kōzuke, once called Bandō Tarō, and this is known as an early record of its name.
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.

First line, "tonegawa no": The great river flowing out of Kōzuke, named here among the Kōzuke poems.
Second line, "kawase mo shirazu": Without knowing where the shallows lie, a risky crossing.
Third line, "tadawatari": "Tadawatari" is crossing straight over, pressing on without hesitation.
Fourth line, "nami ni au nosu": "Nosu" is an eastern form of "nasu," like. The first four lines form a preface.
Final line, "aeru kimi kamo": "Kamo" is exclamatory: you are the one I met.
Source: Manyoshu
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