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
Topic unknown.
石上布留から小野のもと柏本の心は忘られなくに
isonokami
Furu kara wono no
moto kasiFa
mono no kokoro Fa
wasurarenaku ni
In Isonokami at
Furu stands an ancient trunk out in the fields;
As an eternal oak
My feelings
Will never be forgotten…
Anonymous
On sad thoughts.
石上布留の高橋高々に妹が待つらむ夜ぞ更けにける
isonokami
puru no takapasi
takadaka ni
imo ga maturamu
yo zo pukenikeru
As in Isokami
The high bridge at Furu
Stands tall, on tiptoes
I wonder does my darling await me
As the night wears on?
A poem by Ōtomo no sukune Katami.
石上降るとも雨につつまめや妹に逢はむと言ひてしものを
isonokami
puru tomo ame ni
tutumame ya
imo ni apamu to
ipitesi mono wo
At Isonokami in
Furu, the rain may fall
But will it interfere?
For to meet my darling
Have I said I would…
Ōtomo no Katami
大伴像見
Sedōka Topic unknown.
初瀬河布留川のへに二本ある杉年をへて又もあひ見む二本ある杉
FatusegaFa
FurukaFa no Fe ni
Futamoto aru sugi
tosi o Fete
mata aFimimu
Futamoto aru sugi
The River Hatsuse, and
River Furu: between their banks
Stand twin cedars;
The years go by, and
They will come together once more,
Twin cedars standing.
Anonymous
Left.
わが中を布留の荒田とうち捨て誰にゆきあひの早稲作らん
wa ga naka o
furu no arada to
uchisutete
tare ni yukiai no
wase tukuran
Our love
As the overgrown fields at Furu
Has been abandoned;
Who do you go to now,
To grow fresh seedlings?
Kenshō
773
Right (Win).
山深み苔の下もる谷水や年経る恋の涙なるらん
yama fukami
koke no shita moru
tanimizu ya
toshi heru koi no
namida naruran
Deep within the mountains
From underneath the moss leaks
Water to the valleys;
Enduring through the years are my love’s
Tears…
Ietaka
774
Both teams say the poems have no fault.
In judgement: both poems seem equal in expression, but the quality of the lower section of the Left’s poem is extremely poor, so I make the Right’s ‘from underneath the moss leaks’ (koke no shita moru ) the winner.
Topic unknown.
少女子が袖ふる山の瑞垣の久しき世より思そめてき
wotomego ga
sode Furu yama no
midugaki no
Fisasiki yo yori
omoFisometeki
Maidens,
Sleeves waving at Furu Mountain’s
Sacred walls, have there
Ever been; as long
Has love stained my heart.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
柿本人麻呂
Left (Tie).
花の色をそれかとぞ思ふ乙女子が袖振山の春の曙
hana no iro o
sore ka to zo omou
otomego ga
sode furu yama no
haru no akebono
The blossoms’ hue
Might be thought so:
Maidens,
Sleeves waving at Furu Mountain
At early dawn in spring.
15
Right
櫻がり霞の下に今日くれぬ一夜宿かせ春の山もり
sakuragari
kasumi no shita ni
kyô kurenu
hitoyo yado kase
haru no yamamori
Hunting cherry
Beneath the blossoms’ haze
The day draws to a close;
Lend me lodging for a night,
O, sentry of the mounts in springtime!
16
While at the same palace and hearing that a lady called the Palace Handmaid had had her hair cut by a man.
よそにかく消えみ消えずみ淡雪の布留の社の神をしぞ思ふ
yoso ni kaku
kiemi kiezumi
aFayuki no
Furu no yasiro no
kami wo si zo omoFu
Far and far away,
Melting and falling once more,
A sprinkling of snowflakes,
Falls upon the shrine at Furu:
Whose god – your hair – is in my thoughts.
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