Tag Archives: Asake

Entō ōn’uta’awase 7

Round Seven

Left (Tie)

けさはまたそれともみえず淡路島霞のしたに浦風ぞ吹く

kesa wa mata
sore tomo miezu
awajishima
kasumi no shita ni
urakaze zo fuku
This morning, once again,
I cannot that clearly see
Awaji Isle, but
Beneath the haze
The winds are blowing o’er the beach!

Chikanari, Ranked without Office
13

Right

春霞なびく朝けの塩風にあらぬけぶりや浦に立つらん

harugasumi
nabiku asake no
shiokaze ni
aranu keburi ya
ura ni tatsuran
Spring haze
Trails over with the morn—
Salt-fire breezes
It is not, yet does smoke
Seem to rise across the bay?

Ie’kiyo, Ranked without Office
14

Both Left and Right don’t seem bad. I make them a tie.

Kinkai wakashū 35

After I had had various people compose on the scent of plum carried on the breeze.

このねぬるあさけの風にかをるなり軒ばの梅の春のはつ花

kono nenuru
asake no kaze ni
kaoru nari
nokiba no ume no
haru no hatsubana
Having slept
The dawntime breeze
Is scented:
Beneath my eaves the plum
Shows spring’s first blossom.
Created with Soan.

Love X: 7

Left
頼むなるあさけ神しも幣はせん君が心やわれになびくと

tanomu naru
asake kami shimo
nusa wa sen
kimi ga kokoro ya
ware ni nabiku to
Worship she does
The goddess Asake, so should even
I make her an offering?
Then might my lady’s heart
Trail in my direction…

Kenshō
1153

Right (Win)
鏡山君に心やうつるらむいそぎ立たれぬ旅衣かな

kagamiyama
kimi ni kokoro ya
utsururamu
isogi tatarenu
tabigoromo kana
Upon Mirror Mount
Has my heart
Found lodging? For
In haste to rise and don
My travelling garb, I am not!

Lord Tsune’ie
1154

Left and Right state: there are no faults to mention in either poem.

In judgement: both Left and Right here refer to a ‘person’ (kimi), with the Left’s ‘making her an offering’ (nusa wa sen) that she might ‘trail in my direction’ (ware ni nabiku ya), while the Right’s has left his heart on Mirror Mount and ‘is not in haste to rise and don his travelling garb’ (isogi tatarenu tabigoromo): each of these poems is evocative, and makes effective use of wordplay, with the Left’s ‘make her an offering’ certainly resembling something I have come across previously, but the initial ‘goddess Asake’ is poor. The Right’s ‘Mirror Mount’ (kagami yama) is something I am familiar with, and this has a gentle tone. Thus, the Right wins.