The Ninth Day of the Ninth Month
人のみな命はるかにになが月と聞くにつけてぞけふはうれしき
hito no mina inochi haruka ni nagatsuki to kiku ni tsukete zo kyō wa ureshiki For each and everyone
Minamoto no Akinaka
我が宿の菊の白露今日今日ごとにいく代たまりて淵となるらむ
wa ga yado no
At my dwelling,
Nakatsukasa
露深き菊をし折れる心あらば千代のあだ名はたたむとぞ思ふ
tuyu Fukaki
Drenched in dew,
Ki no Tsurayuki
折る菊の雫を多み若ゆてふ濡れ衣をこそ老いの身にきれ
woru kiku no
The picked chrysanthemums
Mibu no Tadamine
皆人の老いを忘るといふ菊は百年をやる花にそありける
mina Fito no
Everyone,
百年を人に留むる玉なればあだにやは見る菊の上の露
momotose wo
A century
Ki no Tsurayuki
On the 13th night of the Ninth Month.
今宵はと心え顔に澄む月の光もてなす菊の白露
koyoi wa to
“Tonight is it!”
Saigyō
ちとせふる霜の鶴をばおきながら菊の花こそひさしかりけれ
titose Furu
A thousand years go by
Mibu no Tadami
Left (Win).
谷深みはるかに人をきくの露触れぬ袂よ何しほるらん
tani fukami
Deep within the valley,
A Servant Girl .
633
Right.
君をのみ心づくしに企救の池言ひ出ぬより袖ぞ濡れぬる
kimi o nomi
Only you do
Lord Tsune’ie .
634
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem is without fault. The Gentlemen of the Left state: while the Right’s ‘Kiku Pond’ (kiku no ike ) does have something novel about it, ‘a mere mention’ (ii’idenu ) is pedestrian.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s ‘chrysanthemum valley’ (kiku no tani ) and the Right’s ‘chrysanthemum pond’ (kiku no ike ) both along the same lines and seem to sound charming [okashiku koso kikoehaberumeredomo ]; still, ‘no dew from the chrysanthemum has touched my sleeves’ (kiku no tsuyu furenu tamoto yo ) seems a little more elegant to me now.
Composed at the home of the Regent and Former Prime Minister .
霜枯るゝ花とも見ずは白菊の移ろふ色を歎かさらまし
shimogaruru
If frost-burned
Minamoto no Koremitsu
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'Simply moving and elegant'