Round Five

Cherries

Left (Win)

あだなりとつねはしりにきさくらばなをしむほどだにのどけからなん

adanari to tsune wa shiriniki sakurabana oshimu hodo dani nodokekaranan

That ‘tis fleeting Ever have I known of The cherry blossom, but Even when filled with regret They seem to ease my heart.

Asatada
10[i]

Right

よとともにちらずもあらなむさくら花あかぬ心はいつかたゆべき

yo to tomo ni chirazu mo aranamu sakurabana akanu kokoro wa itsu ka tayubeki

Through all the passing ages I would that you not scatter, O, cherry blossom! Never sated, when might my heart, Ever get its fill of you?

Motozane[ii]
11[iii]

The Left’s poem expresses the truth of things and has no faults to mention. Its diction is not that good, but it sounds honest. The Right’s poem concluding emotions fail to match reality, which means the poem’s overall quality is inferior. Thus, the Left wins.

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[i] Two different variants of this poem occur in other collections: A poem from the Palace Poetry Match held in Tentoku 4. あだなりとつねはしりにきさくらばなをらむほどだにのどけからなん adanari to / tsune wa shiriniki / sakurabana / oramu hodo dani / nodokekaranan ‘That ‘tis fleeting / Ever have I known of / The cherry blossom, but / Even when plucking them, / They seem to ease my heart.’ Middle Counsellor Asatada (Mandaishū II: 272); and: Cherries, from the Palace Poetry Match held in Tentoku 4. あだなりとかねてしりにきさくら花をしむほどだにのどけかるらん adanari to / kanete shiriniki / sakurabana / oshimu hodo dani / nodokekaruran ‘That ‘tis fleeting / Did I know before of / The cherry blossom, but / Even when filled with regret / They seem to ease my heart.’ Middle Counsellor Asatada (Shoku senzaishū II: 140)

[ii] The text of the match reads ‘Motosuke’ here, but as he did not take part in this event, I have corrected this to ‘Motozane’ (Hagitani and Taniyama 1965, 81).

[iii] This poem is included in Goshūishū (I: 138), with the headnote ‘From the Tentoku 4 Poetry Match’, although here it is attributed to Kanemori.