Lacking a Glimpse of Love Letters 不見書恋
いさや又ふみもみられずともすればとだえのはしのうしろめたさを
| isa ya mata fumi mo mirarezu tomo sureba todae no hashi no ushirometasa o | So, still I’ve not had a note from you, and As ever, as An unfinished bridge I hang on, filled with regret… |
Toshiyori
Lacking a Glimpse of Love Letters 不見書恋
おぼつかなきそぢのはしは年ふれどかけてぞ我はふみみざりける
| obotsukana kisoji no hashi wa toshi furedo kakete zo ware wa fumi mizarikeru | How strange it is! The bridge upon the road to Kiso has Many years upon it, yet Crossing it I See not a single note… |
Akinaka
Preparing Tribute 貢調
あさづまやはたさす駒に声たててせたのながはしひきわたすなり
| asazuma ya hata sasu koma ni koe tatete seta no nagahashi hikiwatasunari | In Asazuma To the flag-flying colts I will call out, and Across the lengthy bridge at Seta Will I draw them! |
Akinaka
Gosechi 五節
ふみもみぬ雲のかけはし外にのみあまつをとめのきき渡るかな
| fumi mo minu kumo no kakehashi soto ni nomi ama tsu otome no kikiwataru kana | Their tread hidden by The spanning bridge of clouds; Simply from afar The heavenly maidens do I hear crossing! |
Tadafusa
Love and Bridges.
同じくはいもがりゆかば恋すてふ名取の橋を踏まずもあらなん
| onajiku wa imogari yukaba koisu chō natori no hashi o fumazu mo aranan | ‘Tis ever the same If to my darling’s house I make my way, To love, Upon Natori’s loose-tongued bridge I shall not set my foot. |
Fujiwara no Tadamichi
Left
あはぬまは琴柱も知らずひく琴の聞きにくきまで音にや立ててむ
| awanu ma wa kotoji mo shirazu hiku kono no kikinikuki made ne ni ya tatetemu |
Yet untuned, and Ignorant of where to place the bridge, Playing such a zither is Hard to hear, as Are my constant sobs, perhaps… |
Lord Kanemune
1097
Right (Win)
松風も琴のしらべに通ふなりわがひとり寝ぞ逢ふよしもなき
| matsukaze mo koto no shirabe ni kayou nari wa ga hitorine zo au yoshi mo naki |
The wind in the pines, as Zithers’ harmony Does blend; Yet I am sleeping solo, with No cause to meet at all… |
Lord Tsune’ie
1098
The Right state: the Left’s poem is preposterous. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left’s poem seems to be aping the style of the Left in the previous round. As for the Right’s poem, although ‘zithers’ harmony’ (koto no shirabe) sounds modern, it is in a standard style. It should win.
Left (Win)
恋わたる夜はのさむしろ波かけてかくや待けん宇治の橋姫
| koi wataru yowa no samushiro nami kakete kaku ya machiken uji no hashihime |
Crossed in love At night my mat of straw Is washed by waves; Is this how she waits, The maid at Uji bridge. |
A Servant Girl
1019
Right
いにしへの宇治の橋守身をつまば年経る恋を哀とも見よ
| inishie no uji no hashimori mi o tsumaba toshi furu koi o aware tomo miyo |
Ancient Warden of Uji bridge, If you pinch me, How I have aged with love for you Will you know, and pity me… |
Jakuren
1020
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: the style of both the Left’s ‘maid at Uji bridge’ (uji no hashihime) and the Right’s ‘Warden of Uji bridge’ (uji no hashimori) is pleasant, and the Left’s ‘Is this how she waits, the maid at Uji bridge’ (kaku ya machiken uji no hashihime) draws on the conception of a tale from long ago, and the configuration also seems deeply moving. Thus, the Left should win.
Left.
葛城や久米路の橋にあらねども絶えぬる中は渡る物かは
| kazuragi ya kumeji no hashi ni aranedomo taenuru naka wa wataru mono ka wa |
At Kazuragi The bridge of Kumeji It is not, yet Can a relationship that’s done Ever continue on? |
Lord Suetsune
1017
Right (Win).
葛城や渡しもはてぬ岩橋も夜の契はありとこそ聞け
| kazuragi ya watashi mo hatenu iwabashi mo yoru no chigiri wa ari to koso kike |
At Kazuragi lies The unfinished Bridge of stone: A vow at night There was, I hear! |
Ietaka
1018
Both Left and Right state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘the bridge of Kazuragi, while the Left has ‘a relationship that’s done’ (taenuru naka). As the bridge, from the very beginning, was never finished, it is not appropriate to say that it is ‘done’. ‘A vow at night’ (yoru no chigiri) seems to be referring to Kodaigimi’s ‘cannot endure’ (taenubeshi). The Right has certainly matched the conception of the bridge. Thus, I make the Right the winner.
Left.
われが身や長柄の橋の橋柱恋に朽ちなん名をば残して
| ware ga mi ya nagara no hashi no hashibashira koi ni kuchinan na o ba nokoshite |
Is my body as The broken bridge at Nagara’s Bridge pillars? Eaten away by love Is all they’ll say when I am gone… |
Lord Kanemune
1015
Right (Win).
崩れゆく板田の橋もさもあらばあれ我を恋ふべき妹ならばこそ
| kuzureyuku itada no hashi mo sa mo araba are ware o koubeki imo naraba koso |
Collapsing is The bridge at Itada: Should that be, then Love for me from My darling will do the same! |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress Household Office
1016
The Right state: clichéd from beginning to end. The Left state: the style of the Right’s poem is unattractive.
In judgement: the second and third lines are certainly old-fashioned. I also cannot call the poem tasteful, because the initial line of it is unattractive. The style of the Right’s poem is not particularly elegant, but the Left is old-fashioned, so the Right wins.
Left.
かくこそは長柄の橋も絶えしかど柱ばかりは名殘やはなき
| kaku koso wa nagara no hashi mo taeshikado hashira bakari wa nagori ya wa naki |
And so it is that The bridge at Nagara Has ceased to be, yet Are there not even pillars In remembrance of what’s gone? |
Lord Ari’ie
1013
Right (Win).
今も猶長柄の橋は作りてんつれなき戀は跡だにもなし
| ima mo nao nagara no hashi wa tsukuriten tsurenaki koi wa ato dani mo nashi |
Even now is The bridge at Nagara Being built? Of this cruel love Not even a trace remains… |
Nobusada
1014
The Right state: it is certainly possible to say that the ‘bridge at Nagara’ has ‘rotted’ (kutsu), but there are, we think, no other examples of it ‘ceasing’ (tayu). The Left state: we wonder about the appropriateness of saying ‘love not a trace’ (koi ni ato nashi).
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘the bridge at Nagara’ and, as has been mentioned by the Gentlemen of the Right in their criticism, the Left uses ‘has ceased to be, yet’ (taeshikado); there are many poems using ‘rotted’, because this is what happens to the pillars of bridges. After this bridge ceased to be, the pillars would still be rotting away. If you have the bridge ‘being built’ (tsukuru nari), why would you not then have it ‘ceasing’? That being said, I am only accustomed to hearing ‘bridge pillars’ (hashibashira), and having only ‘pillars’ (hashira) sounds completely lacking in logic. The Right’s poem uses ‘love not a trace’ (koi ato nashi): it is entirely natural for a variety of different things not to leave a trace. The current criticism must be due to there not being a prior example of this usage, but it is particularly difficult to say this about the initial section of the poem. The Right wins.