Topic unknown.
すみのぼる月の光をしるべにてにしへもいそぐわがこころかな
| suminoboru tsuki no hikari o shirube nite nishi e mo isogu wa ga kokoro kana | Clearly climbing, The moon’s light Is my guide, as Swiftly to the west Flies my heart! |
Mototoshi
Tag Archives: hikari
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 20
Left (Win)
たまがきにひかりさしそふゆふづくよかみにたむくるかげにやあるらむ
| tamagaki ni hikari sashisouru yūzukuyo kami ni tamukuru kage ni ya aruramu | The jewelled fences, Trailed with light, On an early moonlit evening: Is this to the Deity an offering Of light, I wonder? |
Lord Fujiwara no Kunisuke
Supernumerary Senior Secretary of the Empress Household Office
Exalted Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade
39
Right
くもはらふあらしのみがく月にまたひかりをそふるあけのたまがき
| kumo harau arashi no migaku tsuki ni mata hikari o souru ake no tamagaki | Clouds swept away By the storm wind, polish The moon, so once more Light trails across The vermillion jewelled fences. |
Horikawa, from the Residence of the Former Chancellor[1]
40
The Left’s poem is extremely charming with the solicitousness it displays in the sequence ‘On an early moonlit evening: / Is this to the Deity an offering’, but it is truly regrettable that it does not use the full moon or that at the dawn. The Right’s poem focusses on ‘light trailing’ and, as I get the impression that I have heard this a lot recently, the earlier instances have said all there is to say here, so once more the overall style of the Left is superior.
[1] Zen-dajō daijin no ie Horikawa 前太政大臣家堀川
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 12
Round Twelve
Left (Tie)
すみのぼる月のひかりにみがかれてくもりも見えずたまつしまひめ
| suminoboru tsuki no hikari ni migakurete kumori mo miezu tamatsu shimahime | Climbing clearly The moon’s light Polishes, so that No clouds appear above The divine Princess of Tamatsu Isle! |
Lord Fujiwara no Suetsune
Assistant Master of the Empress Household Office
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade[1]
23
Right
すみよしのまつのこずゑにいる月はしづえのひまぞなほまたれける
| sumiyoshi no matsu no kozue ni iru tsuki wa shizue no hima zo nao matarekeru | At Sumiyoshi Into the treetops of the pines Has sunk the moon— The gaps ‘tween the lower boughs Will ever be awaited! |
Lord Fujiwara no Takanobu
Supernumerary Director of the Bureau of Horses, Right Division
Exalted Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade[2]
24
The conception of the Left’s poem of the moon’s light polishing Tamatsu Isle appears charming, but it would have been preferable to stop with ‘No clouds appear above / Tamatsu Isle’. Even though the poem wishes to say that ‘no clouds appear above’ her, the final use of ‘princess’ is a bit critical [for a poem mentioning a deity], isn’t it? As for the Right’s poem, while it does seem to have been composed with some attempt at conception, saying ‘Into the treetops of the pines / Has sunk the moon’ makes it sound as if the light can sink there, but this is what happens at the mountains’ edge, I feel. Thus, here we do have a reference to the moon over this particular shrine, while the Left is based on a reference to the Deity of Tamatsu Isle, and as both of these places are splendid, I hesitate to award a win or a loss and thus, once more, the round ties.
[1] Shōyon’ige-gyō chūgū no suke Fujiwara ason Suetsune正四位下行中宮亮藤原朝臣季経
[2] Jūgoijō-gyō uma no gonkami Fujiwara ason Takanobu 従五位上行右馬権頭藤原朝臣隆信
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 11
Round Eleven
Left (Tie)
すみよしのかみさびにけるたまがきをみがくは月のひかりなりけり
| sumiyoshi no kamisabinikeru tamagaki o migaku wa tsuki no hikari narikeri | Sumiyoshi’s Awesome Begemmed fences are Polished by the moon’s Light. |
Hyōenokami, in service to the Junior Consort[1]
21
Right
くまもなくさえゆく月にみがかれてひかりをそふるあけのたまがき
| kuma mo naku saeyuku tsuki ni migakurete hikari o souru ake no tamagaki | Not a cloud mars The chill moon Polishing With trailing light The vermillion begemmed fences. |
Lord Minamoto no Michichika,
Supernumerary Minor Captain in the Inner Palace Guards, Right Division,
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade[2]
22
Both Left and Right take up the image of the moon’s light polishing the begemmed fences, and the Right’s final section expresses emotions which are frequently heard, while the Left, furthermore, is repetitive [it concludes two lines with the ending –keru/keri] and thus I make the round a tie.
[1] Nyōgo no ie Hyōenokami女御家兵衛督
[2] Shōyon’ige-gyō ukonoe gonshōjō Minamoto ason Michichika 正四位下行右近衛権少将源朝臣通親
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 10
Round Ten
Left (Tie)
まつもみなしらゆふかけてすみよしの月のひかりもかみさびにけり
| matsu mo mina shirayū kakete sumiyoshi no tsuki no hikari mo kamisabinikeri | The pine trees, every one, Are hung with sacred streamers— At Sumiyoshi Even the moon’s light Inspires awe. |
Hyōenosuke, in service to the Junior Consort
(formerly Handmaid Mikawa, in service at the Nijō Palace)[1]
19
Right
かたそぎのゆきあはぬまよりもる月をさえぬしもとやかみは見るらむ
| katasogi no yuki awanu ma yori moru tsuki o saenu shimo to ya kami wa miruramu | The ridge poles Fail to entwine, and from the gaps Drips moonlight— As chill-less frost, I wonder, Does the Deity regard it? |
Lord Fujiwara no Naganori
Supernumerary Minor Captain in the Inner Palace Guards, Left Division
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade[2]
20
The Left’s poem appears to have a pleasant configuration with ‘Even the moon’s light / Inspires awe’. The poem of the Right, furthermore, has a charming-sounding sequence with ‘As chill-less frost, I wonder, / Does the Deity regard it?’ but in composition one usually states that the moon is fair precisely because of its chill. Thus, when one compares it to true frost, can one say that it lacks it? While I do feel that this is somewhat vague, both the poems appear to pleasant configurations, so I make this a tie.
[1] Nȳogo no ie Hyōenosuke moto nijōin Mikawa no maishi女御家兵衛佐元二条院参河内侍
[2] Shōyon’ige-gyō konoe gonshōjō Fujiwara ason Naganori 正四位下行左近衛権少将藤原朝臣修範
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 08
Round Eight
Left (Win)
すみよしのまつふくかぜのおとさえてうらさびしくもすめる月かな
| sumiyoshi no matsu fuku kaze no oto saete ura sabishiku mo sumeru tsuki kana | At Sumiyoshi The wind gusting through the pines Sounds so chill, as Sad and lonely above the shore Clear is the moon! |
Lord Taira no Tsunemori
Director of the Bureau of Palace Storehouses
Assistant Master of the Dowager Empress’ Household Office
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade[1]
15
Right
やはらぐるひかりや月にそへつらむしめのうちにはてりまさりけり
| yawaraguru hikari ya tsuki ni soetsuramu shime no uchi ni wa terimasarikeri | Has the God dimmed His light, that the moon, Seems to drift across, and Within the sacred bounds Shine brightest of all? |
Lord Fujiwara no Yorisuke
Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade[2]
16
The configuration and diction of the poem of the Left are easily grasped and seem to be filled with lonely sadness. The Right’s conception, in turn, expresses the essential essence of the moon over a shrine. However, I do feel that ‘the moon, / Seems to drift across’ is somewhat insufficient. In addition, the Left’s tone sounds strikingly superior, and thus it wins.
[1] Shōyon’ige-gyō kura no kami ken taikōtaigōgū no suke Taira ason Tsunemori 正四位下行内蔵頭兼太皇太后宮亮平朝臣経盛
[2] Jūyon’ijō Fujiwara ason Yorisuke 従四位上藤原朝臣頼輔
Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 02
Round Two
Left (Win)
にはびたくあたりをぬるみおくしものとけぬや月のひかりなるらむ
| niwabi taku atari o nurumi oku shimo no tokenu ya tsuki no hikari naruramu | Braziers kindled shed Warmth all around, so That the fallen frost Melts not, due to the moon’s Light might be? |
Lord Fujiwara no Sanefusa
Major Counsellor
Exalted Junior Second Rank[i]
3
Right
ひとすぢにあふぐこころをすみよしのそらゆく月にわけぞやらるる
| hito suji ni ōgu kokoro o sumiyoshi no sora yuku tsuki ni wake zo yararuru | With my whole Heart I worship Sumiyoshi, for He The moon travelling through the skies Has dispensed! |
Lord Minamoto no Yorimasa
Supernumerary Master of the Right Capital Office
Exalted Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade[ii]
4
The Left’s poem has a novel conception, while appearing to use familiar diction. The Right’s emotions, whereby whole-hearted faith sees the moon as provided by the deity when seeing it, also sound extremely charming, yet, still, the configuration of ‘melts not, the moon’ appears more in keeping with a poem for a poetry match, and thus the Left wins.
[i] Jūni’i-gyō gondainagon Fujiwara ason Sanefusa 従二位行権大納言藤原朝臣実房
[ii] Jūyon’i-gyō sakyō gontaifu Minamoto ason Yorimasa 従四位上行左京権大夫源朝臣頼政
Kyōgoku no miyasudokoro uta’awase 16
Original
ゆきがてにふくはるかぜははやけれどあをやまなればさむからなくに
| yukigate ni fuku harukaze wa hayakeredo aoyama nareba samukaranaku ni | Blended with snow Blows the spring breeze So swift, yet In the padded jacket of the mountain’s green, It’s not so cold at all… |
46
Left
あをやまのなをきてたれかふくかぜをさむからずとはおもひしるらむ
| aoyama no na o kite tare ka fuku kaze o samukarazu to wa omoishiruramu | A padded jacket of the mountain’s green? Who would come hearing that, and By the gusting wind Remain unchilled, Do you really think… |
47
Right
ゆきがてのかぜもなにかはさむからんはるのひかりのみてるやまべは
| yukigate no kaze mo nanika wa samukaran haru no hikari no miteru yamabe wa | Blended with snow, What is it might make the wind So cold? Where the light of spring Shines upon the mountainside… |
48
Kyōgoku no miyasudokoro uta’awase 13
Original
ちりまがふかすがのやまのさくらばなひかりにきえぬゆきと見えつつ
| chirimagau kasuga no yama no sakurabana hikari ni kienu yuki to mietsutsu | Tangledly scattering on The mount of Kasuga are The cherry blossoms—as Not fading with the sunlight Does this snow, it ever seems… |
37
Left
さくらばななにかはきえむしろたへのいろばかりこそゆきににるらめ
| sakurabana nanika wa kienu shirotae no iro bakari koso yuki ni niruramu | Cherry blossoms— Why should they fade away? White as mulberry cloth, In their hue alone Do they resemble snow, I’d say! |
38
Right (Win)
やまざくらゆきにまがひてちりくれどきえぬばかりぞしるしなりける
| yamazakura yuki ni magaite chirikuredo kienu bakari zo shirushi narikeru | Mountain cherry blossoms Tangle with the snowflakes, and Come a’scattering, yet ‘Tis only that they fade not that’s The sign of what they are! |
39
