Saka koete abe no tanomo ni iru tazu no tomoshiki kimi wa asu sae mogamo

坂越えて安倍の田の面に居る鶴の
ともしき君は明日さへもがも

Roma-ji: Saka koete abe no tanomo ni iru tazu no tomoshiki kimi wa asu sae mogamo
English Translation: Crossing the slope,
on the fields of Abe
the cranes have alighted:
you, so seldom here with me—
would you come tomorrow too!
Meaning: Like the cranes that alight on Abe's rice fields after crossing the slope, you come so seldom—if only you would come tomorrow too.
Commentary: Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3523

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Like the rare cranes that cross the slope and alight on the fields of Abe, the lover is seldom seen, so a woman wishes he would come again tomorrow. The rarity of cranes is laid over the preciousness of a lover she can rarely meet.
It is one of the love exchanges and, following the preceding poem, sings of cranes. Abe is thought by some to be Abe District in Suruga, near present-day Shizuoka City.
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, "saka koete": "Crossing the slope," coming from afar.
Second line, "abe no tanomo ni": "Tanomo" is the surface of the rice field.
Third line, "iru tazu no": Cranes alighting on the field, following the "crying cranes" of the preceding poem. The first three lines form a preface.
Fourth line, "tomoshiki kimi wa": "Tomoshi" means rare, seldom seen.
Final line, "asu sae mogamo": "Mogamo" expresses a wish: if only you would come tomorrow as well.
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kizo koso ba koro to saneshi ka kumo no ue yu nakiyuku tazu no matōku omoyu
Next Poem: Mao gomo no fu no machikakute awanaeba okitsu makamo no nageki zo a ga suru