Rather, I might be
lost in the plucking of it,
this wisteria—
if the hour of the dusk should
leave me too uncertain of my way

Meaning

Rather, I might be at a loss how to pluck it, this wisteria, if the dusk should leave me too uncertain of my way.

Commentary

Part One: Fujiura

　This is Yugiri's answer to the invitation. It was the word he had secretly awaited for years, and, holding down the leap of his heart, he made this poem with every show of deference, adding, "I have lost my nerve and blundered; pray set it right for me." When Kashiwagi, the messenger, offered to escort him, Yugiri sent him back with, "No need of a troublesome guard." Then he reported the matter to his father Genji, and, with his leave, went dressed in the fine robes Genji had chosen for him.

　"Nakanaka ni" is rather, or all too readily. "Lost in the plucking" is to be at a loss how to break off the branch. The wisteria is Kumoinokari, and to pluck it is to take her to wife. "If the dusk should leave me uncertain" takes up the Minister's own "dusk." He receives the invitation gratefully, yet answers that in the gathering dark he cannot be sure the consent is really given: gladness and unease together, entrusted to the dimness of the hour. In disparaging himself—"I have lost my nerve and blundered"—one sees both the tension of the moment and Yugiri's still-cautious nature.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

Rather, I might be lost in the plucking of it, this wisteria— if the hour of the dusk should leave me too uncertain of my way

Rather, I might be
lost in the plucking of it,
this wisteria—
if the hour of the dusk should
leave me too uncertain of my way