Yūgure ni mono omou koto wa masaru ya to ware narazaramu hito ni towaba ya - Shika Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

夕暮れにもの思ふことはまさるやと
我ならざらむ人に問はばや

Roma-ji: Yūgure ni mono omou koto wa masaru ya to ware narazaramu hito ni towaba ya
English Translation: Whether at evening
the sorrows of love grow worse,
I would like to ask
someone who is not myself,
to see if it is the same
Meaning: I would like to ask someone other than myself whether the sorrows of love grow heavier at dusk.
Commentary: Book Eight Love Poems II 249

The poet wonders whether she alone feels love's sorrows deepen at dusk or whether others do too, and wishes to ask someone. Through the form of questioning another, she quietly conveys the ache of evening, the hour of waiting for a lover.

The first line, "yūgure ni" (at evening), names dusk, the hour of waiting for a lover's visit. Poem 270 of this book also begins with "yūgure wa," setting an evening of deepening sorrow beside an evening when there is no longer anyone to wait for.
The second line, "mono omou koto wa," refers to the brooding of love.
The third line, "masaru ya to," poses a question with "ya": whether it grows stronger.
The fourth line, "ware narazaramu," combines the copula "nari," the negative "zu," and the softening "mu" to mean someone who is not herself.
The final line, "hito ni towaba ya," ends with the self-directed wish "baya": I would like to ask.
Author: Izumi Shikibu
Source: Shika Wakashu
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