Imo ni awazu hisashiku narinu Nigishigawa kiyoki se goto ni minaura haetena

妹に逢はず久しくなりぬ饒石川
清き瀬ごとに水占延へてな

Roma-ji: Imo ni awazu hisashiku narinu Nigishigawa kiyoki se goto ni minaura haetena
English Translation: It has been so long
since last I met my beloved:
in the Nigishi,
in every pure-flowing shallow,
let me stretch the water-cords and divine
Meaning: It has been so long since I saw my wife—let me cast water omens in every clear shallow of the Nigishi River.
Commentary: Book Seventeen 4028

Headnote: "A poem composed when crossing the Nigishi River in Fugeshi District"
It has been long since he met his wife; let him cast water omens in every clear shallow of the Nigishi River—a poem of turning to divination out of longing for his wife in the capital. This is one of the poems Yakamochi composed in the spring of 748 on what he saw at each time and place while touring the districts of Etchū to administer suiko, the system of lending seed rice in spring to be repaid with interest after the autumn harvest, for which provincial governors traveled through their territory. Crossing a river in distant Noto, he wishes to divine his wife's well-being and the day of their reunion.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Major Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. Appointed Governor of Etchū in 746, he spent five years there, later serving as Junior Counselor and Governor of Inaba before rising to Middle Counselor. He is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.
At the time the province of Etchū also governed the four districts of Noto, and Yakamochi's tour extended to the Noto Peninsula.

First line, "imo ni awazu": "without meeting my wife," the wife left in the capital.
Second line, "hisashiku narinu": "it has been long"; the poem pauses here.
Third line, "Nigishigawa": a river in Fugeshi District, thought to be the Nigishi River in Monzen, present-day Wajima, Ishikawa.
Fourth line, "kiyoki se goto ni": "in each clear shallow," tracing the shallows one by one like "hayaki se goto ni" in 4023.
Fifth line, "minaura haetena": minaura is divination by a river's flow, hau means to stretch a cord, and na expresses intention—"let me cast water omens."
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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