Round Two
Left
ゆきふればしるしのすぎもはなさきてみわの山べもいかがたづねむ
| yuki fureba shirushi no sugi mo hana sakite miwa no yamabe mo ikaga tazunemu | When the snow has fallen, The symbolic cedars, too, Bloom with blossom— To Miwa’s mountainside How might I make my way? |
Lord Saburō
45
Right (Win)
しらゆきにふるの山みちうづもれてたどるばかりになりもゆくかな
| shirayuki ni furu no yamamichi uzumorete tadoru bakari ni nari mo yuku kana | In snow, so white, Furu’s ancient mountain paths Are buried, so Simply I must feel my way As I go along! |
Ushigimi
46
The Left’s poem is an entirely transparent adaptation of an earlier work. This poem is:
ふる雪に印の杉もうづもれていづこなるらむ三輪の山本
| furu yuki ni shirushi no sugi mo uzumorete izuko naruruamu miwa no yamamoto | In the falling snow, Even the symbolic cedars Are buried Where might be Miwa mountain’s foot?[i] |
The Right’s poem has nothing of interest about it, nor does it have any faults to indicate. Thus, there are insufficient grounds for judgement.
The Left’s poem follows the conception of a poem which appeared in the Kaya Palace Poetry Match.[ii] Although this is an earlier work, truly, it’s not that good, and so this poem doesn’t seem that superlative. Why couldn’t one visit if blossom has simply bloomed? The former poem says it would be difficult to get there because it’s buried in snow. The Right’s poem isn’t that good, but it seems better than the Left, so it should win.
[i] The source of this poem is unclear, however,
[ii] Snow. ふるゆきにすぎのあをばもうづもれてしるしも見えずみわのやまもと furu yuki ni / sugi no aoba mo / uzumorete / shirushi mo miezu / miwa no yamamoto ‘In the falling snow / The green cedar needles / Are buried, so / The symbol goes unseen, / Of Miwa mountain’s foot.’ Lady Settsu (Kaya no in shichiban uta’awase 55). This poetry match, Kaya no in shichiban uta’awase 高陽院七番歌合 (‘Seven Round Poetry Match held at the Kaya Palace’), was sponsored by Fujiwara no Morozane 藤原師実 (1042-1101) and held on the 19th day of the Eighth Month, Kahō 1 [1.10.1094]. The judge, Minamoto no Tsunenobu 源経信 (1016-1097), approved of this poem, saying it was ‘extremely charming’. It was later included in Kin’yōshū (IV: 285), with the headnote, ‘Composed on the conception of snow at the Poetry Match held at the Residence of the Former Uji Chancellor’.
Original
きみしなほかくしかよはばいそのかみふるきみやこもふりじとぞおもふ
| kimi shi nao kaku shi kayowaba isonokami furuki miyako mo furiji to zo omou | O, my Lady, Should you thus ever visit Isonokami, where at Furu, the ancient capital, too, Never stales, I feel![1] |
Mitsune
22
Left (Win)
かよふともしられじものをふるさとはかすがのやまのふもとならねば
| kayou tomo shirareji mono o furusato wa kasuga no yama no fumoto naraneba | To ever visit there is something Folk might not know, for The ancient capital Among Kasuga Mountain’s Foothills does not lie… |
23
Right
はるごとにきてはみるともいそのかみふりにしさとのなにはかはらじ
| haru goto ni kite wa miru tomo isonokami furinishi sato no nani wa kawaraji | Every single spring I come to gaze, yet At Isonokami, Furu’s ancient capital Does nothing ever change? |
24
[1] A variant of this poem occurs in Mitsune’s personal collection: When the Priestly Emperor’s Rokujō Lady of the Bedchamber visited Kasuga, I met and conversed with Lord Tadafusa, the Governor of Yamato, and he mentioned that he had been asked to compose eight quality poems in the name of his province, so I sent him two of my own. The date was the 7th day of the Third Month, Engi 21 [17.4.921]. きくになほかくしかよはばいそのかみふるきみやこもふりしとぞおもふ kiku ni nao / kaku shi kayowaba / isonokami / furuki Miyako mo / furishi to zo omou ‘O, I hear that / Should you ever thus visit / Isonokami, where at / Furu, the ancient capital, too, / Has grown old, I feel.’(Mitsune-shū 323)
Left
いそのかみふるのやまべのさくらばなこぞみしはなのいろやのこれる
| isonokami furu no yamabe no sakurabana kozo mishi hana no iro ya nokoreru | In Isonokami At Furu, on the mountainside is Cherry blossom— The flowers I did see last year: Are their hues lingering on? |
Suekata[i]
7
Right
ほどもなくちりなむものをさくらばなここらひささもまたせつるかな
| hodo mo naku chirinamu mono o sakurabana kokora hisasa mo matasetsuru kana | Before a moment’s gone Seem to scatter The cherry blossoms, after Everyone forever Having made to wait! |
Ise
8
The Left only shows affection for the past year, and lacks a conception of the current one—a loss.
[i] Suekata 季方.The identity of this poet is unclear. Hagitani (1963, 174) suggests he could have been the son of any one of a number of nobles: Prince Koga 興我王 (dates unknown); Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 藤原敏行 (?-901/07); Fujiwara no Sugane 藤原菅根 (856-908); or the younger brother of Taira no Atsuyuki 平篤行 (?-910).
| Shinpen kokka taikan no. | |
| Heian-chō uta’awase taisei no. | 12 |
| Title | 或所歌合 |
| Romanised Title | Aru tokoro no uta’awase |
| Translated Title | Poetry Contest held in a Certain Place |
| Alternative Title(s) | |
| Date | Night, 15/8 Shōtai 4 [30.9.901] |
| Extant Poems | 2 |
| Sponsor | |
| Identifiable Participants | |
| Judgements | N |
| Topics | Autumn |
Only the date of this contest remains, along with two of its poems. Given the season, it would clearly have been an autumn-themed event and, as the 15th day of the Eighth Month was when conventionally the moon was at its brightest, it is not surprising that it seems to have been held at night, and contained at least some poems where the moon was a theme.
Of the two surviving poems, one was included in Fubokushō (XIV: 5840), while the other is only recorded here.
いそのかみふるのやしろにはふくずもあきにしなれば色かはりけり
| isonokami Furu no yasiro ni haFu kuzu mo aki ni shi nareba iro kaFarikeri | In Isonokami At the ancient shrine of Furu Even the creeping kudzu vine When the autumn comes Does change its hues. |
1
Right
山のはももみぢてちりぬ月影のかくるるところなくなりぬべし
| yama no Fa mo momidite tirinu tukikage no kakururu tokoro nakunarinubesi | Along the mountains’ edge Scarlet leaves have scattered In the moonlight A place concealed Is there none, at all. |
2
Left
山深み種ある岩に生ふる松の根よりもかたき戀や何なる
| yama fukami tane aru iwa ni ouru matsu no ne yori mo kataki koi ya nani naru |
Deep with the mountains, Upon the crags where seeds Grow into pines, Rooted firmly – how hard Will our love be? |
Lord Ari’ie
1041
Right (Win)
契きなまた忘れずよ初瀬河布留川野邊の二本の杉
| chigirikina mata wasurezu yo hatsusegawa furukawa nobe no futamoto no sugi |
You vowed it, did you not. Not to forget me more. In the River Hatsuse and River Furu’s meadows Stand twin cedars. |
Jakuren
1042
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: While there are such things in the heart of the mountains as ‘crags where seeds grow into pines’ (tane aru iwa ni ouru matsu), it is normally by the sea or on rocky coastlines that one finds firmly rooted pine trees. Surely, mountain pines are but lightly rooted? Cedars on River Hatsuse recollects ‘Nor will I ever; a solid brick-kiln’ (wasurezu yo kawaraya), but ‘You vowed it, did you not’ (chigirikina) also reminds me of the old phrase ‘Both our sleeves wringing out’ (katami ni sode o shiboritsutsu), which is most fine. Thus, the Right wins.
Left (Tie)
仄かなる声を聞きては時鳥鳴きつる方をまづぞ求むる
| Fonokanaru kowe wo kikite Fa Fototogisu nakituru kata wo madu zo motomuru |
Your faint Song I do hear O, cuckoo, Along the path you call Am I in truth invited. |
9
Right
小夜更けぬ布留の都の 時鳥帰る雲路の声を聞かせよ
| sayo Fukete Furu no miyako no Fototogisu kaFeru kumodi no kowe wo kikaseyo |
The brief night dawns At the ancient capital of Furu; O, cuckoo From your homeward path among the clouds Let me hear your song! |
10
