Left (Tie)
身を捨てゝ思へといはゞ唐国の虎臥す谷に世をもつくさん
| mi o sutete omoe to iwaba karakuni no tora fusu tani ni yo o mo tsukusan |
‘Abandon all restraint, and Love me!’ say that, and In far Cathay, In a valley where tiger’s lie Would I end my life! |
Kenshō
1065
Right
もろこしの虎臥す嶋もへだつらん思はぬ中のうときけしきは
| morokoshi no tora fusu shima mo hedatsuran omowanu naka no utoki keshiki wa |
In Cathay, Isles where tigers lie Stand in between: A heedless love’s Chill is such a sight! |
Jakuren
1066
Left and Right together: both tigers do not seem to emphasise anything in particular.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘tigers’ (tora), with the Left having ‘a valley where tigers lie’ (tora fusu tani) and the Right ‘isles where tigers lie’ (tora fusu shima). These seem to be an attempt to differ from the standard ‘meadow’ (nobe). Saying ‘valley’ or ‘isles’ makes both poems sound modern. They are of the same quality.