住吉の松はあはれもかけやせむ八十過ぬる和歌の浦波
| sumiyoshi no matsu wa aware mo kake ya semu yasoji suginuru waka no uranami | At Sumiyoshi will The pines feel compassion For me? Spending more than eighty years Washed by the waves of Waka Bay… |
Judge
1201
和歌の浦のしるべとなれる老の浪げに住吉の松も知るらん
| waka no ura no shirube to nareru oi no nami geni sumiyoshi no matsu mo shiruran | To Waka Bay A guide have you become, Washed by waves of age; Truly, at Sumiyoshi The pines will know that well! |
A Servant Girl
1202
Left
年深き入江の秋の月見ても別惜しまぬ人やかなしき
| toshi fukaki irie no aki no tsuki mitemo wakare oshimanu hito ya kanashiki | Late on in the year Above the bay one evening, Glimpsing the moon: That he cares not at their parting – Is that a source of sadness? |
A Servant Girl
1199
Right (Win)
ともすれば別を知らぬ浪の上にかきなす音をも人は問けり
| tomo sureba wakare o shiranu nami no ue ni kakinasu ne o mo hito wa toikeri | As ever, In ignorance of our parting, Upon the waves The strains I pluck Bring folk to ask me why… |
Ietaka
1200
Both Gentlemen state: the poems are based on ‘The Song of the Lute’ and have no faults to mention.
In judgement: both the Left and the Right are based on ‘The Song of the Lute’ and the Left, beginning with ‘late on in the year’ (toshi fukaki) is pleasant, but ‘that he cares not at their parting’ (wakare oshimanu) and what follows seems rather insufficient, in addition to simply seeming to recall Xunyang River and lack a conception of the poet’s own love. The Right has ‘in ignorance of our parting’ (wakare o shiranu), while ‘bring folk to ask me why’ (hito wa toikeri) also has a slight conception that the lady has not asked why either. Thus, the Right should win.
Left (Win)
よそにても君をし三輪の市ならば行かふ賤に立もをくれじ
| yoso nite mo kimi o shi miwa no ichi naraba yukikau shizu ni tachi mo okureji | Far away At Miwa Market Had I met you, The peasants going back and forth Would not be arriving late… |
Lord Ari’ie
1197
Right
住わびて世をふる道は知らるとも難波の蘆のかりにだに見ん
| sumiwabite yo o furu michi wa shiraru tomo naniwa no ashi no kari ni dani min | Life is hard, as it is To make one’s way I know, yet At Naniwa the reeds I reap for a brief glimpse of you… |
Jakuren
1198
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to indicate. The Left state: the Right’s poem is not bad.
In judgement: the Left’s ‘at Miwa had I met you’ (kimi o shi miwa no) is elegant, but the final section is lacks force. The Right’s reaping reeds at Naniwa has only a faint sense of a merchant. Thus, the Left’s ‘Miwa Market’ (miwa no ichi) wins.
Left
辰の市や日を待つ賤のそれならばあす知らぬ身にかにかへて逢ははまし
| tatsu no ichi ya hi o matsu shizu no sore naraba asu shiranu mi ni kaete awamashi | For Tatsu market’s Day, a peasant waits; If I were he In ignorance of the day to come I would trade places – for I would meet you! |
Lord Sada’ie
1195
Right (Win)
心ざし阿倍の市路に立つ人は恋に命をかへむとやする
| kokorozashi abe no ichiji ni tatsu hito wa koi ni inochi o kaemu to ya suru | Those feelings – On the road to Abe Market – Of someone standing there, Life for love Would he exchange, I wonder? |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
1196
The Right state: the conclusion of the Left is unacceptable given its beginning. The Left state: there is no natural flow in ‘those feelings – Abe’ (kokorozashi abe).
In judgement: with regard to the Left’s poem, the Gentlemen of the Right have already stated that the conclusion is unacceptable given its beginning. The Right’s poem, too, lacks natural flow in ‘those feelings – Abe’. Furthermore, the Left’s diction of stating ‘if I were he’ (sore naraba) and then ‘I would trade places – for I would meet you!’ (kaete awamashi) sounds rather tense, but ‘life for love’ (koi ni inochi) certainly has impact. Thus, the Right should win.
Left (Win)
大和路や軽の市女に言問はん逢につらさをいかがかふべき
| yamatoji ya karu no ichime ni koto towan au ni tsurasa o ikaga kaubeki | On the road to Yamato, At Karu, of a merchant-girl I do enquire: For a meeting, this pain How can I trade? |
Lord Suetsune
1193
Right
立ちくらす市女もさこそ歎くらめ心をかへて思ひ知るかな
| tachikurasu ichime mo sakoso nagekurame kokoro o kaete omoishiru kana | All day long The merchant-girl does also Seem to grieve; Trade your heart for hers and You will know it, too! |
Lord Tsune’ie
1194
Left and Right state: ‘merchant-girl’ (ichime) is undesirable.
In judgement: both poems refer to a ‘merchant-girl’, and although there does not seem to be a great deal of stylistic difference between them, the Right’s ‘the merchant-girl does also seem to grieve’ (ichime mo sakoso nagekurame) does not make it make it clear what she is grieving about. While the Left’s ‘at Karu, of a merchant-girl’ (karu no ichime) is overblown, ‘for a meeting, this pain’ (au ni tsurasa) makes this clear. The Left should win.
Left (Win)
恋しさに逢ことかへむ市もがなつれなき人の心をも見ん
| koishisa ni au koto kaemu ichi mo gana tsurenaki hito no kokoro o mo min | With love to Meet and trade – If only there were such a market! Then that cruel one’s Heart I might find there! |
Lord Kanemune
1191
Right
商人の舟の昔を思ふにも恨みは深き涙なりけり
| akibito no fune no mukashi o omou ni mo urami wa fukaki namida narikeri | On a merchant’s Boat, in thoughts Of long ago, My despair is deep As my tears. |
Nobusada
1192
The Right state: while the Left’s poem refers to a market, it has no merchant. The Left state: ‘a merchant’s boat’ (akibito no fune) is punted, and the lute is plucked.
In judgement: in regard to the Left’s poem, the Gentlemen of the Right’s criticism is that ‘it refers to a market but has no merchant’. ‘With love to meet and trade’ (koishisa ni au koto kaemu) – that suggests a merchant. There is no cause to look elsewhere for an entirely different one! With regard to the Right’s poem, the Left have their own criticism that ‘a merchant’s boat is punted, and a lute is plucked.’ This is, indeed, a most amusing form of words, but I wonder if such levity is appropriate. This poem sounds as if a merchant’s customer is on board his boat, thinking of the past, and listening to the merchant’s wife play the lute. However, while the playing of the lute long ago is evoked, the conception of today’s love lacks clarity. The Left’s poem should win.
Left
あひそめて後は飾磨の市にても夜がれがちをばかへじとぞ思ふ
| aisomete nochi wa shikama no ichi nite mo yogaregachi o ba kaeji to zo omou | First dyed with indigo, and flushed with love, Then to Shikama Market as Night’s dark cloth, only occasionally Will he return I fear… |
Kenshō
1189
Right (Win)
尋ばやほのかに三輪の市に出て命にかふるしるしありやと
| tazuneba ya honoka ni miwa no ichi ni iedete inochi ni kauru shirushi ari ya to | I would pay a visit to one I briefly glimpsed at Miwa Market – leaving My life I would exchange Were there to be a sign from her? |
Lord Takanobu
1190
The Right state: both of the latter sections of the Left’s poem are extremely informal. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults, but we do wonder about the appropriateness of ‘exchange for a sign’ (kauru shirushi).
In judgement: ‘first dyed with indigo’ (aisomete), ‘Shikama Market’ (shikama no ichi) and ‘night’s dark cloth’ (yogaregachi) – all of these sound evocative. Following ‘I briefly glimpsed at Miwa Market’ (honoka ni miwa no ichi) with ‘exchange’ (kauru) sounds rather abrupt, but saying, ‘were there to be a sign’ (shirushi ari ya) at Miwa Market does not sound pointless. Generally speaking, on the Way of Poetry, poems whose conception is plainly expressed do not consider their diction, while poems which place weight upon their diction lack a clear conception. Poems which attempt to fully express their configuration are often at variance from the topic – all this is well known. The Left’s poem has a poor final section. The Right wins.
Left (Win)
山深み歎きこる男のをのれのみ苦しくまどふ恋の道かな
| yama fukami nageki koru o no onore nomi kurushiku madou koi no michi kana | Deep within the mountains Felling trees, a woodsman’s Axe, my grief Leaves me in pained confusion On the paths of love… |
Lord Sada’ie
1187
Right
山人の帰る家路を思ふにも逢はぬ歎きぞ休むまもなき
| yamabito no kaeru ieji o omou ni mo awanu nageki zo yasumu ma mo naki | A mountain man, Homeward bound, Is in my thoughts, but Unable to meet with you grief Gives me no respite. |
Ietaka
1188
Left and Right together state: no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left has a profound conception of love. The Right’s ‘homeward bound’ (kaeru ieji) and ‘unable to meet with you grief’ (awanu nageki) are extremely difficult to grasp, I think. The Left should win.
Left (Tie)
我恋はしげきみ山の山人のさすがにえしもこりはてぬ哉
| wa ga koi wa shigeki miyama no yamabito no sasuga ni e shimo korihatenu kana | My love is Lush as a tree in the mountains’ heart; The mountain men with Their hatchets cannot even Begin to fell it! |
Ari’ie
1185
Right
秋かけてつま木こり積む山人ももゆる思の程は知らじな
| aki kakete tsumagi koritsumu yamabito mo moyuru omoi no hodo wa shiraji na | Into autumn Gathering piles of kindling Even a mountain man, The burning fires of my passion Can hardly know… |
Jakuren
1186
The Right state: in the Left’s poem, ‘hatchets’ (sasuga) fails to match properly. The Left state: the Right’s poem lacks faults to indicate.
In judgement: indeed, in the Left’s poem ‘hatchets’ does not sound like it matches properly. The Right’s poem has the initial ‘into autumn’ (aki kakete), but the conception of autumn does not sound necessary here. They are of the same quality.
Left (Win)
斧の柄を何かあやしと思けんしばしの恋も袖は朽ちけり
| ono no e o nani ka ayashi to omoiken shibashi no koi mo sode wa kuchikeri | An axe haft – What is there strange in that I wonder? For with this brief love My sleeves have rotted… |
Kenshō
1183
Right
あさましや心をしほる山人も身におふ程の歎きをぞこる
| asamashi ya kokoro o shioru yamabito mo mi ni ou hodo no nageki o zo koru | How surprising! Heartbroken A woodcutter, too, Is burdened by The tree of grief he fells… |
Lord Takanobu
1184
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: For the Left, I wonder how long a ‘brief love’ (shibashi no koi) lasts? For one’s sleeves to have rotted, surely a certain amount of time must have passed, but in configuration the poem is certainly elegant. The Right’s woodcutter (yamabito) sounds like he is saying rather too much about himself. The Left should win.