Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo nen 06

28th August 2026 Thomas Leave a comment

Round Six

Left (Tie)

さくらばな風にしちらぬものならばおもふことなき春にぞあらまし

sakurabana
kaze ni shi chiranu
mono naraba
omou koto naki
haru ni zo aramashi

Did the cherry blossom
With the breeze not scatter
Then,
There would be no gloomy thoughts
In springtime, surely!

Yoshinobu
12[i]

Right

さくらばないろみるほどによをしへば歳のゆくをもしらでやみなん

sakurabana
iro miru hodo ni
yo o shi heba
toshi no yuku o mo
shirade yaminan

While upon the cherry blossoms’
Hues I gaze,
Passing through this world,
That the years go by
I feel not, no, not at all![ii]

Kanemori
13

Both Left and Right are well presented. Thus, they tie.

[i] This poem was included in Shikashū (I: 36).

[ii] Kanemori’s poem here can be viewed as a response to the emotions expressed by Ono no Komachi in her famous composition: Topic unknown. 花の色はうつりにけりないたづらにわが身世にふるながめせしまに hana no iro wa / utsurinikeri na / itazura ni / wa ga mi yo ni furu / nagameseshi ma ni ‘The colour of this flower / Has already faded away, / While in idle thoughts / My life goes by, / As I watch the long rains fall.’ (Kokinshū II: 113) (Hagitani and Taniyama 1965, 81)

Dairi uta'awase tentoku yo-nen

Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo nen 05

28th August 2026 Thomas Leave a comment

Round Five

Cherries

Left (Win)

あだなりとつねはしりにきさくらばなをしむほどだにのどけからなん

adanari to
tsune wa shiriniki
sakurabana
oshimu hodo dani
nodokekaranan

That ‘tis fleeting
Ever have I known of
The cherry blossom, but
Even when filled with regret
They seem to ease my heart.

Asatada
10[i]

Right

よとともにちらずもあらなむさくら花あかぬ心はいつかたゆべき

yo to tomo ni
chirazu mo aranamu
sakurabana
akanu kokoro wa
itsu ka tayubeki

Through all the passing ages
I would that you not scatter,
O, cherry blossom!
Never sated, when might my heart,
Ever get its fill of you?

Motozane[ii]
11[iii]

The Left’s poem expresses the truth of things and has no faults to mention. Its diction is not that good, but it sounds honest. The Right’s poem concluding emotions fail to match reality, which means the poem’s overall quality is inferior. Thus, the Left wins.

[i] Two different variants of this poem occur in other collections: A poem from the Palace Poetry Match held in Tentoku 4. あだなりとつねはしりにきさくらばなをらむほどだにのどけからなん adanari to / tsune wa shiriniki / sakurabana / oramu hodo dani / nodokekaranan ‘That ‘tis fleeting / Ever have I known of / The cherry blossom, but / Even when plucking them, / They seem to ease my heart.’ Middle Counsellor Asatada (Mandaishū II: 272); and: Cherries, from the Palace Poetry Match held in Tentoku 4. あだなりとかねてしりにきさくら花をしむほどだにのどけかるらん adanari to / kanete shiriniki / sakurabana / oshimu hodo dani / nodokekaruran ‘That ‘tis fleeting / Did I know before of / The cherry blossom, but / Even when filled with regret / They seem to ease my heart.’ Middle Counsellor Asatada (Shoku senzaishū II: 140)

[ii] The text of the match reads ‘Motosuke’ here, but as he did not take part in this event, I have corrected this to ‘Motozane’ (Hagitani and Taniyama 1965, 81).

[iii] This poem is included in Goshūishū (I: 138), with the headnote ‘From the Tentoku 4 Poetry Match’, although here it is attributed to Kanemori.

Dairi uta'awase tentoku yo-nen

Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo nen 04

28th August 2026 Thomas Leave a comment

Round Four

Willows

Left

あらたまのとしをつむらんあをやぎのいとはいづれの春かたゆべき

aratama no
toshi o tsumuran
aoyagi no
ito wa izure no
haru ka tayubeki

New jewels,
The years seem to spin out
Green willow
Threads: when might
The spring be that they snap?

Mochiki
8[i]

Right (Win)　

さほひめのいとそめかくるあをやぎをふきなみだりそ春の山風

saohime no
ito somekakuru
aoyagi o
fuki na midari so
haru no yamakaze

Princess Sao
Has dyed the dangling threads of
Green willow—
O, don’t blow them into tangles,
Spring breeze from the mountains!

Kanemori
9

While the Right’s poem was being recited, the gentlemen of the Left stated, ‘The current willow poem was already recited out of sequence, and yet they desire to recite it again. It seems they have forgotten basic procedure!’ This minor official replied, ‘His Majesty’s ruling has already been granted on this matter following the Left’s request when the poems on bush warblers were recited, so this objection cannot be raised again.’

In the Left’s poem ‘New jewels, / The years seem to spin out / Green willow’ lacks sense. While the Right’s poem has nothing worth mentioning about it, it does not appear to have any faults, and thus it wins.

[i] A variant on this poem is included in Goshūishū (I: 74), as well as in some texts of this match: Composed on willows for the Palace Poetry Match held in Tentoku 4. あらたまのとしをへつつもあをやぎのいとはいづれのはるかたゆべき aratama no / toshi o hetsutsu mo / aoyagi no / ito wa izure no / haru ka tayubeki ‘New jewels, / The years pass ever by with / Green willow / Threads: when might / The spring be that they snap?’ Given Saneyori’s judgement, however, I am following Hagitani and Taniyama (1965, 80) in prioritising this version.