Kumo no ue wa tsuki koso saya ni saewatare mada todokōru mono ya nani nari - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

雲の上は月こそさやに冴えわたれ
まだ滞るものや何なり

Roma-ji: Kumo no ue wa tsuki koso saya ni saewatare mada todokōru mono ya nani nari
English Translation: Above the clouds
the moon shines out so brightly
clear and cold — and yet
what can it be that is still
lingering, held back and stalled
Meaning: Above the clouds the moon shines bright and clear — so what is it that is still held back and stalled?
Commentary: Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 375

Above the clouds — that is, at court — the moon shines bright and clear, the poet says, so what is it that still holds him back? Against the brightness of the court where the moon shines clear, the poem seems to hint at his own unfulfilled hopes.
The next poem, 376, answers this one, so the two are set as an exchange.

The first line, "kumo no ue wa," names "kumo no ue," meaning both above the clouds and the court.
The second line, "tsuki koso saya ni," stresses with "koso" and the adverb "saya ni" that the moon is bright.
The third line, "saewatare," closes "koso" in the perfective, a kakari-musubi that carries on concessively — though it shines so clear — with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "mada todokōru," refers to something stalled and unmoving; the next poem takes up this word in its first line.
The final line, "mono ya nani nari," poses a question with "ya": what is it?
Author: Tsumori no Kunimoto
Source: Shika Wakashu
Prev Poem: Toshi o hete hoshi o itadaku kurokami no hito yori shimo ni narinikeru kana
Next Poem: Todokōru koto wa nakeredo Sumiyoshi no matsu kokoro ni ya hisashikaruramu