Topic unknown.
おもひわびさてもいのちはあるものをうきにたへぬは涙なりけり
| omoi’wabi sate mo inoti Fa aru mono wo uki ni taenu Fa namida narikeri | Burning with the pain of love, At least life is Something that I have, but Unable to endure her cruelty Are my tears. |
Monk Dōin
Topic unknown.
つらきをもうらみぬわれにならふなようき身をしらぬ人もこそあれ
| tsuraki o mo uraminu ware ni narau na yo ukimi o shiranu hito mo koso are | Even your cruelty, Not despising, I am Not so normal, for Heedless of their wretched lot— There are such ladies out there, too! |
Kojijū
Sent to the Minister of the Left.
ありしだにうかりしものをあかずとていづくにそふるつらさなるらん
| arisi dani ukarisi mono wo akazu tote iduku ni soFuru turasa naruran | Even these past days Heartlessness is something I want more—saying that, then Where might you lay on Additional cruelty? |
Nakatsukasa
On the conception of Love on a First Meeting.
いまよりも心ながさを頼まなむつらきをだにも恨みやはせし
| ima yori mo kokoro nagasa o tanomanamu tsuraki o dani mo urami ya wa seshi | From now On your faithfulness Will I rely! Or your cruelty – Will that be what I despise? |
Senior Assistant Governor General of Dazai [Fujiwara no] Shige’ie
太宰大弐重家
(1128-1181)
Left (Tie)
憂き身ゆへよがるる床のさむしろはしき忍び忍びてもかひやなからむ
| ukimi yue yogaruru toko no samushiro wa shikishinobitemo kai ya nakaramu | My cruelty was it that Kept him from my bed these many nights; My blanket: Should I spread it and think of him alone, Would that have no effect at all? |
Lord Kanemune
1133
Right
恋わびぬむなしき床のさむしろに幾夜いくたび寝覚しつらん
| koiwabinu munashiki toko no samushiro ni ikuyo ikutabi nezameshitsuran | Sick am I of love – In an empty bed’s Blankets How many nights, how many times, Must I awake? |
Nobusada
1134
Both Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: both of the ‘blankets’ (samushiro) of the Left and Right here seem elegant. The configuration of the Left’s ‘my cruelty was it that kept him from my bed these many nights; my blanket’ (ukimi yue yogaruru toko no samushiro) and the conception of the Right’s ‘sick am I of love – in an empty bed’s’ (koiwabinu munashiki toko no) are such that I find both difficult to put down. I must make the round a tie.
Left.
最上河人の心の稲船もしばしばかりと聞かば頼まん
| mogamigawa hito no kokoro no inabune mo shibashi bakari to kikaba tanoman |
Upon Mogami River, Her heart is as A rice-boat; That but for a little while She will hear me, is all my longing. |
Lord Ari’ie
989
Right (Win).
飛鳥川淵瀬ひまなき世の中に人のつらさぞ變らざりける
| asukagawa fuchi se himanaki yo no naka ni hito no tsurasa zo kawarazarikeru |
On Asuka River The deeps and shallows have no rest; In this world of ours, Her cruelty Is unchanging. |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
990
The Right state: we have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem. The Left state: we wonder about the Right’s use of ‘the deeps and shallows have no rest’ (fuchi se himanaki).
In judgement: ‘Mogami River’ appears to be technically accomplished, but the final section sounds excessive. The deeps and shallows of Asuka River, indeed, do change constantly. The final section, too, seems fine. Thus, the Right wins.