Shinaba ya to nani omouran nochi no yo mo koi wa yo ni uki koto to koso kike

死なばやと何思ふらん後の世も
恋は世に憂きこととこそ聞け

Roma-ji: Shinaba ya to nani omouran nochi no yo mo koi wa yo ni uki koto to koso kike
English Translation: Why is it I think,
'O, that I might die and end it'?
In the world to come,
love, they say, is a thing
that brings grief in all worlds too.
Meaning: Why do I wish I could die? They say that even in the next world, love is a truly bitter thing.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 1318

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "One hundred and ten love poems"
Why do I wish to die? the poet asks; they say that even in the next world love is truly bitter.
Even if he longs for death to escape love's pain, he hears that love's suffering continues in the next life, so death offers no release; behind it lies the Buddhist idea that attachment in love hinders salvation.

First line, “shinaba ya to”: baya expresses a wish, "that I might die."
Second line, “nani omouran”: why do I think so?
Third line, “nochi no yo mo”: in the next world too.
Fourth line, “koi wa yo ni uki”: yo ni means "truly."
Fifth line, “koto to koso kike”: koso is answered by the realis kike, "so I hear."
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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