Amanogawa hashi wataseraba sono ue yu mo iwatarasamu o aki ni arazu tomo

天の川橋渡せらばその上ゆも
い渡らさむを秋にあらずとも

Roma-ji: Amanogawa hashi wataseraba sono ue yu mo iwatarasamu o aki ni arazu tomo
English Translation: Over the Heaven's River
if a bridge had been laid down,
then across it, too,
he would surely make his way,
even if it were not autumn.
Meaning: If a bridge spanned the River of Heaven, he would surely cross over it to her, even though it were not autumn.
Commentary: Book Eighteen 4126

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A Tanabata poem [with short poems]." "Two envoys."
The poet says that if a bridge spanned the River of Heaven, the Herdsman would cross over it to meet the Weaver, even if it were not autumn. Feeling for the lovers who can meet only once a year at Tanabata in autumn, he expresses sympathy and the wish that they could meet whenever they liked.
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito, and from 746 he served as governor of Etchū. He is believed to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū, and this book has the character of a poetic diary of his years in Etchū.
According to the left note, the long poem and its envoys were composed on the seventh day of the seventh month while gazing up at the River of Heaven. This envoy condenses the long poem's "if only a bridge were laid, they could cross over it."

First line, "amanogawa": it begins with the River of Heaven that separates the Herdsman and the Weaver.
Second line, "hashi wataseraba": "sera" contains the irrealis of the perfective "ri," a hypothetical "if a bridge had been laid."
Third line, "sono ue yu mo": "yu" marks the route, "even by way of that bridge."
Fourth line, "iwatarasamu o": "i" is a prefix, "su" an honorific auxiliary, "mu" conjectural, and "o" adversative: "he would cross, and yet." The poem pauses after the fourth line.
Last line, "aki ni arazu tomo": in inverted order it adds "even if it were not autumn." Against the convention of Tanabata, a meeting once a year in autumn, it wishes for a meeting free of the seasons.
Author: Otomo no Yakamochi
Source: Manyoshu
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