Uruwashi to a ga mou imo o yamakawa o naka ni henarite yasukeku mo nashi

愛しと我が思ふ妹を山川を
中にへなりて安けくもなし

Roma-ji: Uruwashi to a ga mou imo o yamakawa o naka ni henarite yasukeku mo nashi
English Translation: She whom I hold dear,
my love, from her I am kept
with mountains and rivers
lying in between us,
I find no peace at all
Meaning: With mountains and rivers lying between me and the wife I hold so dear, I cannot find a moment's peace.
Commentary: Book Fifteen Exchange Poems of Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome 3755

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome"
He sings that, separated from his dear wife by mountains and rivers, his heart has no peace. The mountains and rivers dividing the capital and Echizen are felt as barriers holding the two apart. The upper phrase begins with the same "uruwashi to a ga mou imo o" as 3729 of this book, a poem from the road, and the last line, "yasukeku mo nashi," is the same as the last line of 3723, sung by the young woman at parting, so that Yakamori in exile takes up in the same words the anxiety she felt at their parting.
The author, Nakatomi no Yakamori, was a son of Nakatomi no Azumahito, from the Nakatomi clan in charge of the rites of the gods. He was exiled to Echizen Province for an offense, but was later pardoned and returned to the capital.
A left note reads "the above thirteen poems are by Nakatomi no Ason Yakamori"; the thirteen poems from 3754 to 3766 of this book were sent by Yakamori to the young woman from his place of exile. The latter half of this book contains sixty-three poems exchanged between Nakatomi no Yakamori and Sano no Otogami no Otome. According to the book's table of contents, when Yakamori took as his wife the young woman, a lady-in-waiting of the palace storehouse office, he was exiled to Echizen Province by imperial decree. The place of exile is thought to be Ajimano in Echizen, near present-day Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture.

First line, "uruwashi to": "uruwashi" means dear.
Second line, "a ga mou imo o": the wife I love, the same second line as 3729 of this book.
Third line, "yamakawa o": mountains and rivers, which divide the capital and Echizen.
Fourth line, "naka ni henarite": "henaru" means to be separated, to lie between: lying in between us. 3764 of this book has the same line.
Fifth line, "yasukeku mo nashi": there is no peace at all, the same last line as 3723 of this book.
Author: Nakatomi no Yakamori
Source: Manyoshu
Prev Poem: Kaso nashi ni seki tobikoyuru hototogisu amata ga ko ni mo yamazu kayowamu
Next Poem: Mukaiite hitohi mo ochizu mishikadomo itowanu imo o tsuki wataru made