Tag Archives: blooms

Entō ōn’uta’awase 30

Round Thirty

Left (Tie)

玉をぬく真野の糸萩かたよりにおのれみだるる秋の夕暮

tama o nuku
mano no itohagi
katayori ni
onore midaruru
aki no yūgure
Strung with gems
The bush-clover twigs at Mano
All align together
In their own tangles
On an autumn evening.

Shō
59

Right

待ちわたる時や来ぬらん白露の玉しく庭の秋はぎの花

machiwataru
toki ya konuran
shiratsuyu no
tama shiku niwa no
akihagi no hana
Has that long-awaited
Time arrived, perhaps?
When silver dewdrop
Pearls will spread o’er the grounds
From the autumn bush clover blooms…

Nagatsuna
60

The poems of Left and Right have different diction, but the same configuration.

Entō ōn’uta’awase 29

Round Twenty-Nine

Left (Win)

宮城のの木下風や過ぎぬらん露におくるる秋萩の花

miyagino no
ko no shitakaze ya
suginuran
tsuyu ni okururu
akihagi no hana
On Miyagi Plain has
The breeze beneath the trees
Passed by? For
Missing the dewfall are
The autumn bush clover blooms…

Takasuke
57

Right

物おもふやどの物とてながむれば露にをれふす庭の萩原

mono’omou
yado no mono tote
nagamureba
tsuyu ni orefusu
niwa no hagiwara
Sunk in gloomy thought is
The one who dwells here, I feel,
When I gaze upon,
Broken and tangled among the dewdrops,
The bush clover grove in the grounds…

Shimotsuke
58

The Left poem’s ‘Missing the dewfall are the autumn bush clover’ sounds pleasant. The Right poem has no faults either, yet the Left should win.

Entō ōn’uta’awase 25

Round Twenty-Five

Dew on Bush Clover

Left

下葉には色なる玉やくだくらむ風の吹きしく萩の上の露

shitaba ni wa
iro naru tama ya
kudakuramu
kaze no fukishiku
hagi no ue no tsuyu
From the underleaves
Hues have the gemlets taken
In their shattering?
Spread by the gusting wind
Are the dewdrops on the bush clover…

A Court Lady
49

Right (Win)

又やみむ又や見ざらん白露の玉おきしける秋萩の花

mata ya mimu
mata ya mizaran
shiratsuyu no
tama okishikeru
akihagi no hana
Will I see again, or
Will I not
Silver dewdrop
Pearls spread upon
The autumn bush clover blooms?

Ietaka
50

The Left’s poem does not seem to have a particularly superlative style. The Right’s poem, saying ‘will I see again, or will I not silver dewdrops’ is particularly charming and moving. Thus, it wins.

Naidaijin-ke uta’awase 24

Round Twelve

Left

霜枯に移ひ残る村菊はみる朝ごとにめづらしきかな

shimogare ni
utsuroinokoru
muragiku wa
miru asa goto ni
mezurashiki kana
Burned by frost,
Faded and lingering
A cluster of chrysanthemums
When I see them every morn
Strikes me afresh!

Lord Toshitaka
47

Right (Both Judges – Win)

置くしものなからましかば菊のはな移ふ色をけふみましやは

oku shimo no
nakaramashikaba
kiku no hana
utsurou iro o
kyō mimashi ya wa
Fallen frost
Were there none, then
Chrysanthemum blooms
Faded hues
I would not see today…

Lord Tamezane
48

Toshiyori states: the first poem has nothing remarkable about it, apart from the undesirable use of ‘clustered chrysanthemums’. The second poem’s sense could be that when the frost has fallen, the chrysanthemum won’t display faded hues, but it is a mistake to link frost fall and being able to see them. However, if we interpret is as meaning it has fallen, so we can then view them for a long time, well, I can understand that, and will make it the winner.

Mototoshi states: this poem has no faults, but it does not appear to be a poem suited to a poetry match—it’s just rather dull. The poem of the Right, too, lacks anything worth pointing out and just says that the poet wants to gaze upon faded hues today—this seems a bit cliched, but I’d say it’s superior.

Naidaijin-ke uta’awase 22

Round Ten

Left

植ゑしその心も置かぬ白菊はあだなる霜に移ひにけり

ueshi sono
kokoro mo okanu
shiragiku wa
adanaru shimo ni
utsuroinikeri
I planted them, yet
Unconcerned are
The white chrysanthemums,
For with the faithless frost
Have they faded.

Lord Munekuni
43

Right (Both Judges – Win)

菊のはな夜のまに色やかはれると霜を払ひて今朝みつるかな

kiku no hana
yo no ma ni iro ya
kawareru to
shimo o haraite
kesa mitsuru kana
The chrysanthemum blooms
Within the space of but one night their hue
Will change, I thought, so
Brushing away the frost
Will I gaze on them this morn!

Lord Kanemasa

44

Toshiyori states: the first poem uses ‘unconcerned’, doesn’t it. The second poem’s sequencing is undesirable, yet ‘brushing away the frost’ sounds like that really is the case. It seems superior.

Mototoshi states: one has to ask what on earth a chrysanthemum might be concerned about! As for the Right, ‘Within the space of but one night their hue’ is vague, I think, but ‘brushing away the frost and gazing’ is certainly charming—it is still lodged within my aged heart.

Naidaijin-ke uta’awase 20

Round Eight

Left (T – Win; M – Tie)

冬枯にうつろひ残る白菊はうは葉に置ける霜かとぞみる

fuyugare ni
utsuroi nokoru
shiragiku wa
uwaba ni okeru
shimo ka to zo miru
Sere in winter,
Faded and lingering
A white chrysanthemum as,
Fallen upon its upper leaves,
Frost does appear, perhaps?

Lord Morikata
39

Right

露じもの暁置きのあさごとに移ひまさるしらぎくの花

tsuyujimo no
akatsuki oki no
asa goto ni
utsuroi masaru
shiragiku no hana
Frosty dewdrops
With the dawn fall—arising
Every morning
Fading fairer become
The white chrysanthemum blooms.

Lord Michitsune
40

Toshiyori states: I have the feeling that I have never heard the expression ‘sere in winter’, and I certainly have no recollection of it being in the Collection of a Myriad Leaves. The poem of the Right is smooth and extremely charming; I’m very familiar with the expression ‘dew fallen in the morning when I arise’, and here there seems to be some reason for it, doesn’t there! Still, the first poem is better.

Mototoshi states: the expression ‘faded and lingering’ is difficult to distinguish. In addition, saying ‘Fallen upon [the flower’s] upper leaves, / Frost’ is a severe misjudgment. The poem of the Right has the tautology ‘with the dawn fall’ and then ‘every morning’. Clearly neither of these appears to win or lose, so I make this a tie.