Heat Haze
しづけくて吹きくる風もなき空にみだれてあそぶいとぞみえける
| shizukekute fukikuru kaze mo naki sora ni midarete asobu ito zo miekeru | Even a gently Blowing breeze Is absent from the skies, where A playful tangled Thread of haze appears. |
Tadafusa
Tag Archives: Heat Haze
Eikyū hyakushu 31
Heat Haze
ささがにのくもらぬ空のいとなればあそぶ気色のたえずもあるかな
| sasagani no kumoranu sora no ito nareba asobu keshiki no taezu mo aru kana | If, a tiny crab, The spider, across the cloudless skies Her web did spin, Endlessly playful The scene would be! |
Toshiyori
Eikyū hyakushu 35
Heat Haze
徒然とのどけき空に遊ぶ糸を我よりほかに人や見るらむ
| tsurezure to nodokeki sora ni asobu ito o ware yori hoka ni hito ya miruramu |
Idly Upon the tranquil skies’ Heat haze Other than myself Does anyone gaze, I wonder? |
Daishin
Eikyū hyakushu 34
Heat Haze
はるばると浅緑なる大空に遊ぶ糸をや眺めくらさむ
| harubaru to asamidorinaru ōzora ni asobu ito o ya nagamekurasamu |
In the far distant Azure Skies Is it the heat haze That fills my dimming gaze? |
Higo
Eikyū hyakushu 33
Heat Haze
雲晴れて天つみ空に遊ぶ糸のよるよる花と見えぬなるらむ
| kumo harete ama tsu misora ni asobu ito no yoruyoru hana to mienu naruramu |
The clouds have cleared, and In the heavenly skies The heat haze Night-blooming blossoms Does not seem to be! |
Kanemasa
Eikyū hyakushu 30
Heat Haze
雲雀あがる如月の日に遊ぶ糸に緑の空もまがひ見えけり
| hibari agaru kisaragi no hi ni asobu ito ni midori no sora mo magaimiekeri |
The skylark soars Toward the Second Month’s sun: Heat haze does The azure skies Seem to distort. |
Nakazane
Eikyū hyakushu 29
Heat Haze
うち乱れすめるみ空の遊ぶ糸に天の川瀬のみつを日かはや
| uchimidare sumeru misora no asobu ito ama no kawase no mitsu o hi ka wa ya |
Confusing The clear skies is The heat-haze: The rapids of the river of heaven Roused by the sun, perhaps? |
Akinaka
Spring II: 24
Left (Win).
くり返し春の糸ゆふ幾代へておなじ緑の空に見ゆらむ
| kurikaeshi haru no itoyū iku yo hete onaji midori no sora ni miyuramu |
Time and time again The threaded heat haze of spring, As uncounted ages pass, In identical azure Skies must appear… |
107
Right.
のどかなる夕日の空をながむれば薄紅に染むるいとゆふ
| nodokanaru yūhi no sora o nagamureba usukurenai ni somuru itoyū |
When on the tranquil Sunset sky I gaze, Pale crimson Stains the haze. |
108
Neither team has anything to say about the other’s poem this round.
Shunzei, however, says, ‘Although the expressions ‘time and time again’ (kurikaeshi) and ‘uncounted ages pass’ (iku yo hete) seem somewhat forced connections with ‘threaded’ (ito), the final section beginning ‘identical azure’ (onaji midori) is superb. The essence of the Right’s poem, of gazing at the sky at sunset with the threads of haze stained, is charming, but I wonder whether it would not have been better not to force the reference to sunset into the poem. ‘Azure skies’ must win.
Spring II: 23
Left (Win).
面影に千里をかけて見するかな春のひかりに遊ぶいとゆふ
| omokage ni chisato o kakete misuru kana haru no hikari ni asobu itoyū |
A vision from Across a thousand leagues Appears, In the spring sunlight Wavering ‘midst the haze. |
105
Right.
見わたせばあるかなきかに亂れつゝ心ぼそくも遊ぶいとゆふ
| miwataseba aru ka naki ka ni midaretsutsu kokorobosoku mo asobu itoyū |
When I look out Is it there, or not? Disordered and Forlorn, Wavering haze. |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
106
The Right say they have nothing particular to remark upon about the Left’s poem, but the Left wonder whether ‘forlorn’ (kokorobosoku mo) forms an appropriate linkage with the final line. (The point they are making is that in the original poem the final line starts asobu, which literally means ‘enjoy oneself’ or ‘play’, and thus ‘forlorn’ seems an incongruous prequel to it. In all the ‘Heat Haze’ poems I’ve translated asobu as ‘wavering’, as it’s use in this context is not for its sense, but as an addition piece of orthographic wordplay, as ‘heat haze’ (itoyū), is written with the characters for ‘threads’ (ito 糸) and ‘play’ (yū 遊).)
Shunzei’s judgement is: ‘One has to wonder about the suitability of the final line of the Right’s poem, as is the gist of the Left’s remarks; by contrast, the ending of the Left’s poems seems particularly good. It has to be the winner.’
Spring II: 22
Left (Win).
春來れば空に亂るゝいとゆふを一筋にやはありと頼まん
| haru kureba sora ni midaruru itoyū wo hito suji ni ya wa ari to tanoman |
When Spring is come, The sky is disarrayed by Heat haze, yet For it to be all that is – In that I cannot trust! |
103
Right.
春風のゝどかに吹けば青柳の枝もひとつに遊ぶ糸遊
| haru kaze no nodoka ni fukeba aoyanagi no eda mo hitotsu ni asobu itoyū |
When spring breezes Gently blow Fresh willow Fronds as one are Wavering hazes… |
104
Both teams find no particular faults with the other’s poems.
Shunzei, however, comments, ‘Both poems are excellent in appearance, but the Left has ‘The sky is disarrayed’ (sora ni midaruru). The Right is ‘Fresh willow fronds as one’ (aoyanagi no eda mo hitotsu ni asobu): does this not suggest that haze wavers only in the vicinity of willows? The Left must win.’