Mountain Cherries

Round Nine

Left (Tie)

人心うつりはてぬる花の色に昔ながらの山の名もをし

hitogokoro utsurihatenuru hana no iro ni mukashi nagara no yama no na mo oshi

As a human heart All faded are The blossoms’ hues upon Ever unchanged Nagara Mountain—even its name brings regret.[1]

A Court Lady
17

Right

なぞもかく思ひそめけむ桜花やまとしたかく成りはつるまで

nazo mo kaku omoisomekemu sakurabana yama toshi takaku narihatsuru made

Why is it that I seem so Absorbed in thought of Cherry blossom that The mountain higher Has grown? [2]

Lord Ietaka
18

The Right’s poem mentioning ‘Grief as hard as felling trees upon a mountain higher’ has charming diction. As for the Left’s poem, while I have heard it strongly stated that using a ‘human heart’ is not diction that should be composed with these days, as this is not a poem for public circulation, for the moment I make this a tie.

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[1] An allusive variation on KKS XV: 797.

[2] An allusive variation on KKS XIX: 1056.