Koishinaba kimi wa aware to iwazu tomo nakanaka yoso no hito ya shinobamu - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

恋ひ死なば君はあはれと言はずとも
なかなかよその人やしのばむ

Roma-ji: Koishinaba kimi wa aware to iwazu tomo nakanaka yoso no hito ya shinobamu
English Translation: Should I die of love,
even though you would not say
"how sad" for my sake,
might not strangers far removed
rather mourn me in your stead
Meaning: If I were to die of love, you would not even say "how sad"; might not some stranger, far removed from me, mourn me instead?
Commentary: Book Seven Love Poems I 197

Even if he died of love, the poet says, the beloved would not offer a word of pity, while strangers might grieve for him instead. The poem heightens her coldness by contrasting it with the compassion of others.

The first line, "koishinaba" (should I die of love), imagines dying of love. It is the same line as in 189 of this book, but where that poem feared dying unknown, this one pictures who would mourn afterward.
The second line, "kimi wa aware to," takes up "aware to iwamu" from the preceding poem, 196, making the beloved the one who would speak.
The third line, "iwazu tomo" (even if you do not say), is a concessive hypothesis.
The fourth line, "nakanaka yoso no" (rather, those far removed), uses "nakanaka" to show the irony that strangers might care more. It echoes "yoso" from the preceding poem.
The final line, "hito ya shinobamu," forms a kakari-musubi of "ya" and the attributive "mu," ending with the question of whether others will mourn.
Source: Shika Wakashu
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