Yareba oshi yaraneba hito ni mienubeshi nakunaku mo nao kaesu masareri - Gosen Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

やれば惜しやらねば人に見えぬべし
泣く泣くもなほ返すまされり

Roma-ji: Yareba oshi yaraneba hito ni mienubeshi nakunaku mo nao kaesu masareri
English Translation: Tear them, it's a pity;
keep them, and they surely will
be seen by others—
weeping though I do, it's best
that I give them back to you
Meaning: If I tear them up, it is a pity; if I keep them, others are sure to see them. Weeping as I do, it is still better to give them back.
Commentary: Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems II 1143

Headnote: "When she asked for the letters we had now and then exchanged to be returned, I sent this with them."
The poet says that tearing up the letters would be a pity, keeping them would let others see them, and so, though weeping, it is better to return them. Asked by a woman to give back her letters, he frankly voices his hesitation, unable to throw them away yet fearing prying eyes, before returning them in tears.
According to the headnote, the woman asked for the letters they had occasionally exchanged to be returned, and he sent this along with them.
The poet, written in kana as "Motoyoshi no miko," is Prince Motoyoshi, the first son of Emperor Yōzei. Known as a great lover, he left a personal collection, the Motoyoshi Shinnō Shū, and the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu includes his poem "Wabinureba ima hata onaji naniwa naru."

The first line, "Yareba oshi," means "if I tear them, it is a pity," with "yaru" meaning to tear. The poem pauses here.
The second line, "yaraneba hito ni," means "if I do not tear them, by others," repeating the paired phrasing of the first line.
The third line, "mienubeshi," means "they will surely be seen," with "nubeshi" strong conjecture. The poem pauses here.
The fourth line, "nakunaku mo nao," means "weeping though I am, still."
The last line, "kaesu masareri," means "returning them is better," with "ri" the continuative auxiliary. It answers "koikaeshi," her request for their return, in the headnote.
Author: Prince Motoyoshi
Source: Gosen Wakashu
Prev Poem: Amagumo no ukitaru koto to kikishikado nao zo kokoro wa sora ni narinishi
Next Poem: Mochizuki no koma yori osoku idetsureba tadoru tadoru zo yama wa koetsuru