Composed as a poem on blossom, when he held a poetry match.
をはつせの花のさかりをみわたせばかすみにまがふみねのしら雲
| woFatuse no Fana no sakari wo miwataseba kasumi ni magaFu ne no sirakumo | When at Hatsuse Across the blossoms’ profusion I cast my gaze Entangled in haze are The clouds of white upon the peak. |
Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazai, Shige’ie
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.
Composed on the conception of love that is unrequited despite one’s prayers, when composing ten poems on love at the residence of Supernumerary Middle Councillor Toshitada.
うかりける人を初瀬の山颪よはけしかれとはいのらぬものを
| ukarikeru Fito wo Fatuse no yama’orosi yo Fagesikare to Fa inoranu mono wo |
A heartless Woman is as Hatsuse’s Mountain winds, Raging in the night, they say, and As unmoved by prayer… |
Minamoto no Shunrai
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.
いひわたる我年波を初瀬川映れる影もみつわさしつゝ
| iiwataru wa ga toshinami o hatsusegawa utsureru kage mo mitsuwashitsutsu |
Many times I have proposed, As the years come on me in waves By the River Hatsuse, But the reflection of my face Shows signs of stiffness… |
Kenshō.
845
Right.
姿こそ雪降りにたる身なれども袖は涙に色めきにけり
| sugata koso yuki furinitaru mi naredomo sode wa namida ni iromekinikeri |
My very form, Has snow drifts Upon me, but My sleeves with tears Have been strongly stained… |
Lord Tsune’ie.
846
Both Left and Right state together that they are unable to find any words of praise.
In judgement: ‘River Hatsuse’ (hatsusegawa) and ‘many times I have proposed’ (iiwataru) are the only expressions with some conception of love, but they seem somewhat lacking, do they not? A form with ‘snow drifts’ (yuki furinitaru), having ‘sleeves strongly stained with tears’ (sode no namida wa iromeku) has a profound conception of love.