Round Six

Left (Tie)

むつごともいはまほしきを女郎花くちなし色のつらくもあるかな

mutsugoto mo iwamahoshiki o ominaeshi kuchinashi iro no tsuraku mo aru kana

A lover’s whisper is What I wish you’d say to me, O, maidenflower, but Your silent yellow hue Is cruel, indeed!

Minamoto no Moromitsu, Supernumerary Master of the Right Capital Office
11

Right

女郎花はなの心はしらねども名をきくにこそをらまほしけれ

ominaeshi hana no kokoro wa shiranedomo na o kiku ni koso oramahoshikere

O, maidenflower, A flower’s heart, I cannot know, yet Simply on hearing your name, How I wish to pick you!

Hōribe no Narinaka, Hiyoshi Shrine Priest
12

The Left is charming. However, would a flower which is not ‘silent yellow’ be saying something? It’s more common to say that flowers say nothing. Even so, this is not a profound fault, so it’s better to evaluate this poem as charming. The Right is elegantly composed—saying ‘simply on hearing your name’, just sounds skillful, so it’s impossible for me to state a winner or loser this round.