Amakumo no yukikaerinamu mono yue ni omoi zo waga suru wakare kanashimi

天雲の行き帰りなむものゆゑに
思ひぞ我がする別れ悲しみ

Roma-ji: Amakumo no yukikaerinamu mono yue ni omoi zo waga suru wakare kanashimi
English Translation: Like the clouds of heaven
they will go and come back home,
and yet even so
I am lost in thought, for
the parting fills me with grief
Meaning: Though they will surely go and come back, like the clouds that drift across the sky, still I am lost in thought, so sad is this parting.
Commentary: Book Nineteen 4242

Headnote: "A poem from the day of the banquet held at the house of Grand Counselor Fujiwara to see off the envoys to Tang [composed by the host himself]"
Composed by the host, Fujiwara no Nakamaro, on the day of a farewell banquet for the embassy to Tang at his house as Grand Counselor, it says that though the envoys will surely return, as clouds in the sky go and come back, the parting still saddens him. It conveys the greeting of a host at a farewell banquet, trusting in their return yet grieving the separation.
The embassy to Tang China led by Fujiwara no Kiyokawa as ambassador was appointed in 750 and sailed from Naniwa in 752. According to the left note, it was transmitted by the Etchū official Takayasu no Tanemaro.
The poet, Fujiwara no Nakamaro, was a son of Fujiwara no Muchimaro; trusted by Empress Dowager Kōmyō, he wielded great power and was later granted the name Emi no Oshikatsu. At this time he was Grand Counselor.

First line, "amakumo no" (like the clouds of heaven), introduces the simile of clouds going and returning.
Second line, "yukikaerinamu" (will surely go and return): "namu" is strong conjecture, expressing confidence in the envoys' return.
Third line, "mono yue ni" (and yet), is concessive, preparing the contrast between confidence and sorrow.
Fourth line, "omoi zo waga suru" (still I brood): "zo" binds with the attributive "suru"; the poem pauses here.
Fifth line, "wakare kanashimi" (grieving at the parting): "mi" expresses cause, giving the reason last by inversion.
Author: Fujiwara no Nakamaro
Source: Manyoshu
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