Had I known beforehand that I would become so distressed upon entering the beloved's lane, I would have chosen death rather than going there.

Here, the lover expresses deep regret and heartache with a touch of bitter irony. He ventured into the beloved's lane seeking solace, but found only unbearable torment and humiliation—playing on the word 'tang', which evokes both the physical narrowness of an alley and an overwhelming sense of emotional suffocation. He confesses that he would have gladly chosen death over this visit, had he known how helpless and trapped love's indifference would leave him.