Sayo fukete amanogawa o zo idete miru omou sama naru kumo ya wataru to - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

さ夜更けて天の川をぞ出でて見る
思ふさまなる雲や渡ると

Roma-ji: Sayo fukete amanogawa o zo idete miru omou sama naru kumo ya wataru to
English Translation: When the night grew late,
I went out and gazed upon
the River of Heaven,
wondering if clouds would cross
just as I had hoped they might.
Meaning: Late in the night I go outside to gaze at the River of Heaven, wondering whether clouds are crossing it just as I had hoped.
Commentary: Book Three Autumn Poems 146

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Late on the night of Tanabata, the poet goes outside to look up at the River of Heaven, hoping to see whether clouds are crossing it just as he imagined, befitting the meeting of the two stars. In the figure of an earthly person watching over the heavenly meeting, the poem conveys a fond familiarity with Tanabata.

First line, "sayo fukete," means "as the night grew late," with "sa" as a prefix. Taking up the preceding poem's final line, "yo zo fukenikeru," it looks up from the earth at the River of Heaven late at night.
Second line, "amanogawa o zo," uses the emphatic particle "zo," which is resolved by "miru" in the third line.
Third line, "idete miru," means "I go out and look," closing with the attributive "miru." The poem pauses here, in inverted order with the second half.
Fourth line, "omou sama naru," means "just as I imagined."
Final line, "kumo ya wataru to," means "to see whether clouds are crossing," with the questioning particle "ya." Whereas the preceding poems spoke from the side of the two stars in heaven, this one speaks from the side of someone watching on earth, so the viewpoints of heaven and earth form a pair.
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
Prev Poem: Amanogawa kozo no watari no utsuroeba asase fumu ma ni yo zo fukenikeru
Next Poem: Hikoboshi no omoi masuran koto yori mo miru ware kurushi yo no fukeyukeba