旅寝するとをちのさとに月すみて都はるかに衣うつなり
| tabine suru tōchi no sato ni tsuki sumite miyako haruka ni koromo utsunari |
Sleeping on my travels in Far distant Tōchi, where The moon shines clearly, In the capital, so far away You are fulling cloth. |
Tag Archives: capital
Love III: 30
Left.
我戀は布留野の道の小笹原いく秋風に露こぼれ來ぬ
| wa ga koi wa furuno no michi no osasawara iku akikaze ni tsuyu koborekinu |
My love is as The path to Furuno through The bamboo groves: With the coming of the autumn winds An endless fall of dewdrops. |
Lord Ari’ie.
779
Right.
戀そめし心はいつぞ石上宮この奧の夕暮の空
| koi someshi kokoro wa itsu zo isonokami miyako no oku no yūgure no sora |
When did this love First touch my soul? The ancient Capital’s heart, gazing At the evening skies. |
Nobusada.
780
The Right wonder with it sounds appropriate for the Left’s poem to end with kinu. The Left say that the Right’s ‘Capital’s heart’ (miyako no oku) is a vague expression.
In judgement: ‘The faults of both poems this round are so minor as not to be worth criticism. The Left’s ‘path to Furuno through the bamboo groves’ (furuno no michi no osasawara) followed with ‘the coming of the autumn winds an endless fall of dewdrops’ (iku aki kaze ni tsuyu koborekinu) sounds particularly fine [yoroshiku koso kikoe]. I wonder whether the Right’s ‘ancient’ (Isonokami) followed by ‘capital’s heart’ (miyako no oku) is really that vague? People who make such criticisms must not read poetry in the same way as this old fool. What a sad situation this is! However, the round is a good tie.’
Winter II: 5
Left.
さびしさの始とぞ見る朝まだきはだれ霜降る小野の篠原
| sabishisa no hajime to zo miru asa madaki hadarejimo furu ono no shinohara |
The loneliness Has begun, I feel, Early in the morning, with The dusting frost On the arrow bamboo groves… |
549
Right (Win).
朝戸明けて都の辰巳眺むれば雪の梢や深草の里
| asado akete miyako no tatsumi nagamureba yuki no kozue ya fukakusa no sato |
Opening my door one morning, and South-east of the capital Turning my gaze, The snow-laden treetops recall The depths of the estate at Fukakusa. |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
550
Both teams say the other’s poem ‘isn’t bad’ [ashikaranu].
Shunzei’s judgement: Although I feel that this topic of ‘Winter Mornings’ should express the conception of the latter half of winter [fuyu no nakaba sugitaru kokoro], the Left’s poem sounds like one from the beginning of winter, and I wonder about that. ‘South-east of the capital’ (miyako no tatsumi) is taken from the poem by Kisen on Mt Uji, which states ‘South east of the Capital, and so I dwell’ (miyako no tatsumi sika zo sumu). This conception [kokoro] of being there and ‘gazing south-east of the capital’ (miyako no tatsumi nagamureba) to the Fukakusa Estate, is charming [okashiku haberu]. Snow on the treetops in the morning, too, sounds pleasant [yoroshiku kikoyu]. Thus, the Right should win.
Autumn II: 29
Left (Tie).
廣澤の池冴えわたる月影は都まで敷く氷成けり
| hirosawa no ike saewataru tsukikage wa miyako made shiku kōri narikeri |
Upon Hirosawa Pond, so brightly falls The moonlight that All up to the capital is spread A sheet of ice, or so it seems. |
417
Right.
月清み都の空も雲清みて松風拂ふ廣澤の池
| tsuki kiyomi miyako no sora mo kumo sumite matsukaze harau hirosawa no ike |
The moon, so clear; The skies above the capital Swept clean of cloud by Winds rustling in the pines Round Hirosawa Pond. |
418
Both Left and Right state that their opinions are as in the previous round.
Shunzei’s judgement: I do wonder about ‘Upon Hirosawa Pond, so brightly falls’ (hirosawa no ike saewataru) followed by ‘All up to the capital is spread a sheet of ice’ (miyako made shiku kōri). ‘The skies above the capital swept clean of cloud by winds rustling in the pines’ (miyako no sora mo kumo sumite matsukaze harau) is elevated in expression [take aru sama], and although ‘the moon, so clear’ (tsuki kiyomi) is archaic diction [furuki kotoba], in this poem it may be difficult to judge it entirely appropriate [yoroshi to mo kikinashigataku]. Thus, this round should tie.