The two princes of former Emperor Yōzei held a poetry match, occupying the Left and Right on the topics of ‘love on waking’ and ‘love after a dawn parting’.
Love on Waking
Left
ねてよりもさめてののちのわびしきはつらきうつつにまどふなりけり
nete yori mo samete no nochi no wabishiki wa tsuraki utsutsu ni madou narikeri
More than sleeping After waking is Sad and lonely— Cruel reality Leaves me lost.
1
Right
くやくやとまちてねざめにおきたればつきよりほかにいるひとぞなき
kuyakuya to machite nezame ni okitareba tsuki yori hoka ni iru hito zo naki
Such painful thoughts Await me on waking When I arise Other than the moon There is no one here at all.
Hyōbukyō motoyoshi-shin’nō ie uta’awase 兵部卿元良親王家歌合 (‘Poetry Match held at the Residence of Imperial Prince Motoyoshi, Minister of War’)
Motoyoshi-shin’nō uta’awase 元良親王歌合 (‘Imperial Prince Motoyoshi’s’ Poetry Match’)
Hyōbukyō shin’nō uta’awase 兵部卿親王歌合 (‘Poetry Match held by the Imperial Prince and Minister of War’)
From these various appellations, it seems clear that the main sponsor was Imperial Prince Motoyoshi 元良親王 (890-943), the eldest son of Emperor Yōzei 陽成 (869-949; r. 876-884), who was born after his father’s abdication and was thus not part of the line of imperial succession. The identity of the second prince is less certain, but Hagitani (1957, 276) suggests that the most likely candidate is Imperial Prince Motohira 元平親王 (?-958), Motoyoshi’s full brother, given their blood relationship.
Motoyoshi is known to have died on the 26th day of the Seventh Month, Tengyō 6 [28.8.943], so the match cannot have taken place any later than this, but there is no other evidence available to date it more precisely. It is possible that it could have occurred as early as Engi 10 [910], but this seems somewhat unlikely given that Motohira would probably have been very young at this point, and the match’s topics, ‘Love on Waking’ and ‘Love after a Dawn Parting’ required a certain maturity to develop. This would seem to match what we know of the brothers from other sources: Motoyoshi developed a reputation as something of a womaniser—Yamato monogatari 大和物語 (‘The Tales of Yamato’; before 951) contains a number of anecdotes about his love affairs, and even suggests that he used to secretly watch passing women from one of his residences (Tahara 1980, 83). By contrast, the same text’s sole reference to Motohira relates that he suddenly returned to visit a lady with whom he had long been intimate after failing to call on her for a lengthy period. She was so shocked by this that she fled and would not speak to him (Tahara 1980, 15–16).
Given the topics and lack of any other material, it is most likely that this was a private entertainment organized by Motoyoshi and involving his brother. If so, the event would have focussed purely on the poetry and lacked other accoutrements such as a diorama. It is possible that it may have involved only the two princes, without a reciter, reader and judge—certainly if any others were present, their names were not recorded, nor were any judgements or other critical comments.
While he has loved the Way of Poetry since his previous lives, Archbishop Eien knows nothing at all about poems’ merits and ills. It being hard to decline his urgings to act as judge and finding myself completely unable to do so, I have judged without concern for how I may be mocked and disparaged for it. Should there be no alternate opinions raised, truly, I would be overjoyed.
kasugayama chie ni sakayuru sakakiba wa yorozuyo made no kimi ga tame ka
Upon Kasuga Mountain A thousand branches grow, Leafy, on the sacred tree— Until ten thousand ages pass Will they ward my Lord!
Lady Kazusa 69
Right
君がよはいふかぎりなしみよしののこがねがみねにみよをまつまで
kimi ga yo wa iu kagiri nashi miyoshino no kogane ga mine ni miyo o matsu made
My Lord’s reign— Words cannot describe: ‘til fair Yoshino’s Golden peak’s Age one must await!
Lady Shikibu 70
The poem of the Left seems poetic to an extraordinarily outlandish degree! The poem of the Right’s ‘‘til fair Yoshino’s / Golden peak’s / Age one must await!’ has a sufficient conception of felicitation. Thus, these tie.
That the Left is addressed to Mount Kasuga is highly admirable. Is the Right’s ‘golden peak’ a reference to Mount Mitake? It’s very difficult to say anything profound here. Arbitrarily, I would make this a tie—the quality of the poems makes that seem right.
ureshisa wa ōtsu no hama ni tatsu nami no kazu mo shirarenu kimi ga miyo kana
My joy is Great, as upon Ōtsu Beach Break waves In numbers quite unknown, Such is my Lord’s reign most fair!
Cell of Fragrant Cloud 67
Right
かすがやまみねのしらがしよろづよをきみにといへばかみもいさめず
kasugayama mine no shiragashi yorozuyo o kimi ni to ieba kami mo isamezu
Kasuga Mountain has White-barked evergreen oaks upon its peak: ‘Ten thousand generations For my Lord!’—should I say that, The God will surely not refuse!
Cell of Compassionate Light 68
The poem of the Left’s ‘Great, as upon Ōtsu Beach’ and what follows is something that sounds grievously prosaic. With that said, there are many parts of the poem which are not. What is the poem of the Right’s ‘White-barked evergreen oaks on its peak / Ten thousand generations’ linked with in the remainder of the poem? I wonder what it’s composed about… The Left doesn’t contain any errors, so I still say it wins.
The Left’s poem, as I have said in an earlier round, appears to lack smoothness. Is the poem of the Right’s ‘white-barked evergreen oaks’ a long-standing expression? I can’t seem to recall a prior precedent. ‘The God will surely not refuse’ is vague, too. Is it asking the deity’s favour for the speaker? While I am somewhat hesitant, given my appallingly constricted knowledge, I will, fearfully, say that this is inferior.
kimi ga yo wa nagai no ura no hamakaze ni tatsu shiranami no kazu mo shirarezu
My Lord’s reign: At Nagai Bay The beach breezes Rouse the whitecaps In number entirely unknown.
Controller’s Graduate 65
Right
きみがよをまつちのやまのこまつばらちよのけしきを見るぞうれしき
kimi ga yo o matsuchi no yama no komatsubara chiyo no keshiki o miru zo ureshiki
My Lord’s reign Awaiting upon Matsuchi Mountain The pine seedling groves The sight for a thousand ages Joyfully will see!
Kerin’in Graduate 66
It’s impossible to decide on a winner or loser between the Left and the Right here in terms of conception, diction and overall style. To put it in general terms, I must make this round a further tie.
Neither Left nor Right is remarkable, but nor do they have any faults to mention. I’d make this round a tie.
uchimurete iwane ni nezasu komatsuba no kigi no chitose wa kimi zo kazoemu
Crowding At the crags’ foot, roots stretching, The dwarf pines’ needles with The trees’ thousand years— My Lord may count them all!
Cell of the Fragrant Elephant 63
Right (Win)
たとふべきものこそなけれ君がよははまのまさごもかずなからめや
tatoubeki mono koso nakere kimi ga yo wa hama no masago mo kazu nakarame ya
A suitable metaphor Is there none, at all! My Lord’s reign: Even the fair sands on the shore Would not exceed its number…
Cell of Everlasting Truth 64
Both of the Left poem’s expressions, ‘crowding’ and ‘dwarf pines’ needles’, seem to sound awkward. ‘Crowding’ is used of cranes, while it would have been preferable to say ‘the needles of the dwarf pines’. The poem of the Right is not especially charming, but it is in a familiar style, so I feel that ‘the fair sands’ number’ is superior.
I feel that ‘crowding’ is better applied to human beings. Perhaps there’s a conception here of looking down on each and every one? This is a mistake, isn’t it? In addition, what is ‘dwarf pines’ needles’? Maybe the poet is trying to say ‘the needles of the dwarf pines’? Is there a prior poem as precedent? It’s a piece of awkward-sounding diction! The Right’s poem appears straightforward, but without errors.
kimi ga yo wa kami ni zo inoru suminoe no matsu no chitose o yuzure to omoeba
My Lord’s reign: To the gods I pray, that Suminoe’s Pines their thousand years Pass on—that is my hope…
Retired from the World 61a
きみがへむやちよのかずはあめにますとよをかひめの神やしるらん
kimi ga hemu yachiyo no kazu wa ame ni masu toyo’okahime no kami ya shiruran
That my Lord will endure The number of eight thousand ages— Residing in the heavens, The Goddess of the Eternal Hills, The deity, knows well, no doubt!
Retired from the World 61b
Right (Win)
君がよはつきじとぞおもふ春の日の御笠の山にささむかぎりは
kimi ga yo wa tsukiji to zo omou haru no hi no mikasa no yama ni sasamu kagiri wa
My Lord’s reign Will never fade, I feel! While in spring the sun Upon Mikasa Mountain Shines down…
Senior Assistant Minister Past Lecturer 62
Both Left and Right have neither strengths nor weakness in their diction and sense, but I feel that ‘While in spring the sun / Upon Mikasa Mountain / Shines down’ is a bit more dependable at present than ‘Suminoe’s / Pines their thousand years’.
It is certainly not the case that there are no dubious elements about the Left’s poem. As ‘eight thousand ages’ is a definite number, what is it that the Goddess of the Eternal Hills is expected to know? If this is something in the deity’s hands, then it should be, ‘does not even know the number’. I’m sure the Goddess herself would ask what she’s expected to know. The Right seems stronger.
[i] There are different poems by Eien this round in different versions of the text of the contest. As can be inferred from the judgements, Mototoshi saw the first poem and Toshiyori the second. This strongly suggests that Mototoshi’s judgements were circulated before the text of the contest was submitted to Toshiyori, and Eien revised his poem this round as a result (Kubota et al. 2018, 308).
kimi ga yo wa ama no iwato o izuru hi no iku meguri chō kazu mo shirarezu
My Lord’s reign: Since from the stone door in the heavens Emerged the sun, ‘How many circuits has she made?’, they ask— A number quite unknown.
Lord Saburō 59
Right
みかさやまふもとのさとはあめのしたふるにおもひもあらじとぞ思ふ
mikasayama fumoto no sato wa ame no shita furu ni omoi mo araji to zo omou
At Mikasa Moutain’s Foot, in a hamlet ‘neath the heavens Passing time—painful thoughts There I’d have not a one, I feel!
Ushigimi 60
The Left’s poem goes beyond the general flow of diction, containing mystery and depth. I have to say it is truly superior. While the Right’s poem has no faults to mention, it has yet to emerge from prosaic expression. Thus, the Left wins.
The ‘stone door in the heavens’ is that which the supreme sun-deity Amaterasu stood before and then entered. But when we’re talking about dawn breaking at the end of night, we say ‘gates of heaven’. Which of these two was did the poet have in mind, I wonder? If he was thinking of dawn breaking, then the usage is erroneous, but even if he did mean ‘stone door of the heavens’, then do we use this about the circuits of the sun? This is vague. In addition, the final ‘they ask’ is difficult to pronounce. As for the Right’s poem, ‘‘neath the heavens’ lacks emotion. The dual use of ‘thoughts’ and ‘feels’, as I have already remarked, is not an error, but does grate on the ears a bit.
midori naru matsukage hitasu ikemizu ni chiyo no sumika to miyuru yado kana
Evergreen The pine tree’s shapes sink Into the pond waters— A residence for a thousand ages Does that dwelling seem!
Lord Dainagon 57
Right (Win)
ちとせともいろにはいでていはし水ながれむほどは君がよなれば
chitose to mo iro ni wa idete iwashimizu nagaremu hodo wa kimi ga yo nareba
For a thousand years or more Does its hue emerge— Spring waters from the rocks Might flow as long as My Lord’s reign will be, so…
Lord Chūnagon 58
What on earth might be the colour of the Left poem’s ‘pine tree’s shapes sink’ and the Right poem’s ‘thousand years’ hue’? When one talks about ‘hue’ that means ‘scarlet’ and, in addition, it’s used of blossoms or autumn leaves. I have yet to see wisteria colouring the water in numerous private collections. The two poems are about the same, but the Right is marred by a series of faults.
The Left’s ‘shapes sink’ is extremely vague. ‘Sink’ means to submerge an object in water. One could certainly compose about a pine tree’s branches sinking, but how can we accept ‘shapes sink’ to mean an object’s reflection from beneath the water in the absence of a poem as precedent? The end is extremely, charming, though.
The poem of the Right doesn’t have anything special about it. It’s a pedestrian affair which doesn’t seem to show much evidence of thought. How are we to distinguish between a poem which is hackneyed but lacking any faults and one which is vague?
