mukashi tote mi no omoide wa nakeredomo kimi shinobine zo taezu nakaruru
Bygone days— Memories of me then Have I none, yet Thinking fondly of my Lord I weep constantly.
Hyōenosuke 101
Right
いくよしもありへむものとしらぬみはうきもつらきもなにかなげかむ
iku yo shimo ariemu mono to shiranu mi wa uki mo tsuraki mo nanika nagekamu
However many ages I may live through I know not, so For the coldness and cruelties Why should I grieve so?
Lord Naganori 102
The configuration of the Left’s poem, beginning ‘Memories of me then / Have I none, yet’ appears elegant. The conception of self-effacingly not recalling oneself but thinking fondly of one’s former master seems sadly moving. The Right’s poem appears splendidly direct in its emotional stance. With that being said, the Right lacks clear source of grief, whereas the Left has its fond recollections, and thus I have to say it wins.
inishie o shinobu to nashi ni furusato no yūbe no ame ni niou tachibana
Bygone days I do not recall, but At an ancient estate In the evening rain Comes the scent of orange blossom.[i]
[i] This poem functions as a reply to: Topic unknown. さつきまつ花橘のかをかげば昔の人の袖のかぞする satsuki matsu / hana tachibana no / ka o kageba / mukashi no hito no / sode no ka zo suru ‘Awaiting the Fifth Month / The orange blossoms’ / Scent fills the air, and / Folk from long ago / With their perfumed sleeves come back to me.’ Anonymous (KKS III: 139).
