Kuyakuya to matsu yūgure to ima wa tote kaeru ashita to izure masareri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

くやくやと待つ夕暮れと今はとて
帰る朝といづれまされり

Roma-ji: Kuyakuya to matsu yūgure to ima wa tote kaeru ashita to izure masareri
English Translation: "Is it now, is it now?"—
the evening spent in waiting,
or "It is time,"
the morning of going home:
which of the two is worse
Meaning: The evening spent waiting, wondering "now? now?", or the morning when one says "it is time" and leaves—which of these is the harder to bear?
Commentary: Book Nine Love Poems I 510

Headnote: "Sent to someone he had come to know as a lover, wishing to see her reply."
The poem asks which is harder, the evening spent waiting, wondering "now? now?", or the morning of parting and going home. Setting side by side the pain of waiting before a meeting and the pain of parting after it, the poet seeks to draw out his lover's feelings.
According to the headnote, he sent it to someone with whom he had exchanged vows, wishing to see her reply. The next poem is the reply, and the two form a pair of exchanged poems.
The poet, called "Motoyoshi no Miko," is Prince Motoyoshi. A son of Emperor Yōzei, he was known as an elegant man devoted to love. His personal collection, the Motoyoshi Shinnō shū, survives, and his "wabinureba ima hata onaji Naniwa naru" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The first line, "Kuyakuya to," means "now? now?", expressing impatient waiting.
The second line, "matsu yūgure to," means "the evening of waiting for a visit." The first and second lines of the next poem, "yūgure wa matsu ni mo kakaru," take this up.
The third line, "ima wa tote," means "saying it is time," the words spoken at parting.
The fourth line, "kaeru ashita to," means "and the morning of going home," paired with "yūgure" in the second line. "Okuru ashita" in the fourth line of the next poem takes this up.
The last line, "izure masareri," means "which is the greater?", a question weighing the two kinds of pain.
Author: Prince Motoyoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
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