Left (Win)
あはれとて聞き知る人はなけれども恋しき琴の音こそ絶えせね
| aware tote kikishiru hito wa nakeredomo koishiki koto no ne koso taesene |
To be moved By hearing is there No one, yet My beloved zither’s Strains sound on and on… |
Kenshō
1099
Right
なをざりにはかなくすさむ琴の音もまつには通ふ物とこそ聞け
| naozari ni hakanaku susamu koto no ne mo matsu ni wa kayou mono to koso kike |
Carelessly and Wildly plucked My zither’s strains Blend with the pines I had heard… |
Lord Takanobu
1100
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to mention. The Left state: the Right’s poem is not bad.
In judgement: both Gentlemen’s ‘zithers’ (koto) appear to be equally elegant, and the Right has a fine final section. The Left seems pleasant in both the initial and latter sections. So, the Left wins.