Spring III: 11

Left (Win).

昔誰志賀の山路を踏みそめて人の心を花に見すらん

mukashi tare
shiga no yamaji o
fumisomete
hito no kokoro o
hana ni misuran
In ages past, who was it that
On the mountain paths of Shiga
First set foot, that
Men’s hearts be moved
By the sight of blossom?

Kenshō.

141

Right.

故郷に思ふ人ある家づとは花にぞ見ゆる志賀の山越え

furusato ni
omou hito aru
iezuto wa
hana ni zo miyuru
shiga no yamagoe
At home is
The one I love:
As a gift
These blossoms would appear
On the path across the Shiga Mountains.

Jakuren.

142

The Right say that the Left’s poem is particularly good this round, while the Left have no criticisms to make of the Right’s one either.

Shunzei says, ‘One has to wonder whether, following the final of the Left’s poem, there might not be men who foolishly pondered on blossom? And, in the Right’s the “gift for the one I love” (omou hito aru iezuto): how would the blossoms appear? Is it that the poet as broken off a spray? The two halves of the poem do not seem to fit appropriately together, which is a problem of mistaken emphasis. Thus, in the end, rather than the “gift”, in terms of form “in ages past who was it” must win.’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *