Round Eight
Left (Win)
すみよしのまつふくかぜのおとさえてうらさびしくもすめる月かな
| sumiyoshi no matsu fuku kaze no oto saete ura sabishiku mo sumeru tsuki kana | At Sumiyoshi The wind gusting through the pines Sounds so chill, as Sad and lonely above the shore Clear is the moon! |
Lord Taira no Tsunemori
Director of the Bureau of Palace Storehouses
Assistant Master of the Dowager Empress’ Household Office
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade[1]
15
Right
やはらぐるひかりや月にそへつらむしめのうちにはてりまさりけり
| yawaraguru hikari ya tsuki ni soetsuramu shime no uchi ni wa terimasarikeri | Has the God dimmed His light, that the moon, Seems to drift across, and Within the sacred bounds Shine brightest of all? |
Lord Fujiwara no Yorisuke
Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade[2]
16
The configuration and diction of the poem of the Left are easily grasped and seem to be filled with lonely sadness. The Right’s conception, in turn, expresses the essential essence of the moon over a shrine. However, I do feel that ‘the moon, / Seems to drift across’ is somewhat insufficient. In addition, the Left’s tone sounds strikingly superior, and thus it wins.
[1] Shōyon’ige-gyō kura no kami ken taikōtaigōgū no suke Taira ason Tsunemori 正四位下行内蔵頭兼太皇太后宮亮平朝臣経盛
[2] Jūyon’ijō Fujiwara ason Yorisuke 従四位上藤原朝臣頼輔