Left.
年ぞ經る見る夜な夜なも重ならで我も無き名か夢かとぞ思
| toshi zo furu miru yonayona mo kasanarade ware mo nakina ka yume ka to zo omou |
The years go by And meeting night after night Is so rare, that Even for me a baseless rumour, or A dream, it seems… |
741
Right (Win).
心ざし有るか無きかの忘れ水いかなる折に思ひ出づらむ
| kokorozashi aru ka naki ka no wasuremizu ikanaru ori ni omoi’izuramu |
Your love for me: Is it real, or is it not, Like a forgotten stream; When, for certain, Do you remember me, I wonder… |
742
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we wonder, somewhat, about the link in ‘Even for me a baseless rumour, or a dream, it seems’ (ware mo nakina ka yume ka to zo). The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem is old-fashioned.
In judgement: the Left’s poem certainly has the fault of obscuring its subject – there can be no doubt of this. The conception of the Right’s ‘forgotten stream’ (wasuremizu) is not retained in contemporary poetry, I think. And yet, while it is old fashioned, I cannot recall such a usage. In the absence of this, it must seem novel. Thus, in the end, the Right should win.