Round Five
Left (T – Tie; M – Win)
秋はてて霜枯れぬれどきくの花残れる色は深くみえけり
| aki hatete shimogarenuredo kiku no hana nokoreru iro wa fukaku miekeri | With the end of autumn Burned by frost they are, yet The chrysanthemum blooms’ Lingering hues Appear all the deeper. |
Lady Shinano
33
Right
白ぎくも移ひにけりうき人のこころばかりとなにおもひけむ
| shiragiku mo utsuroinikeri ukibito no kokoro bakari to nani omoikemu | This white chrysanthemum, too Has faded; ‘tis simply as My cruel lady’s Heart— I wonder why would I think so? |
A Court Lady
34
Toshiyori states: the first poem has ‘With the end of autumn / Burned by frost they are’ and this gives the impression that there is nothing remaining. But saying that autumn has ended, yet one can still see the chrysanthemums, so, in the end, ‘hues appear all the deeper’ means there is a mismatch between the beginning and end of the poem. As for the second poem, it’s a commonplace style of composition to say that you despise someone who has forgotten you, but this is certainly a love poem, and it does not resemble a chrysanthemum one. Nevertheless, there’s nothing particular to point out in this poem and it has some vague parts, so I say this is a tie.
Mototoshi states: the phrase ‘Lingering hues / Appears all the deeper’ doesn’t say what these look like or how they appear. In addition, the poem’s style is not that superlative, and its diction seems halting. With that being said, however, the poem of the Right does not resemble one regretting the chrysanthemums in the slightest. It expresses the feelings of despite between a man and woman who have parted and become distant from each other using the metaphor of the chrysanthemum, and thus the conception of the topic lacks depth, so again the Left has to win.
Round Eleven
Left
さごろもの袂はせばしかづけども時雨の雨は心してふれ
| sagoromo no tamoto wa sebashi kazukedomo shigure no ame wa kokoroshite fure | My night robe’s Sleeves are narrow: I cover myself, yet, O rain shower, Fall with care! |
Lord Toshitaka
21
Right (Both Judges – Win)
はつ時雨音信しより水ぐきの岡の梢の色をしぞ思ふ
| hatsushigure otozureshi yori mizuguki no oka no kozue no iro o shi zo omou | Since the first shower Came to call, Mizuguki Hill’s treetops’ Hues fill my thoughts… |
Lord Tokimasa
22
Toshiyori states: the poem on night robes has ‘Fall with care!’ – is this expressing regret over getting wet? In addition, there’s ‘I cover myself, yet’: it would have been preferable to have this element first. The poem on the ‘first shower’ is not that remarkable, yet it does sound smooth. ‘Hues fill my thoughts’ feels conspicuously old-fashioned, and yet composing using ‘Mizuguki’ seem superior.
Mototoshi states: what on earth is the poet doing saying his ‘night robe’ is ‘narrow’? In the Code of the Shijō Major Counsellor this is indicted to be a bad thing—‘a shallow poem with weighty words’! The poem of the Right has ‘Since the first shower / Came to call’ and I feel that this is how a poem on showers ought to be. Saying ‘Hill’s treetops’ / Hues fill my thoughts’ is a bit trite, but still charming, so this is superior, isn’t it.
Round Eight
Left (Both Judges – Tie)
神無月三室の山の紅葉ばも色に出でぬべく降るしぐれかな
| kaminazuki mimuro no yama no momijaba mo iro ni idenubeku furu shigure kana | In the Godless Month On Mount Mimuro The autumn leaves Show no hues at all, despite The falling showers! |
Lord Morikata
15
Right
かみな月時雨れてわたるたびごとに生田の杜をおもひこそやれ
| kaminazuki shigurete wataru tabi goto ni ikuta no mori o omoi koso yare | In the Godless Month Showers pass by and Every time The sacred grove at Ikuta I do recall. |
Lord Tadataka
16
Toshiyori states: ‘Godless Month’ is the name given to a specific month of the year. It’s somewhat unclear why one would use ‘Godless Month’ in conjunction with ‘Mount Mimuro’ – is there a prior poem to evidence this? It’s quite normal for lines which would normally have five syllables to be written with six, or those with seven to have eight, and this can sound fine in some cases. Here, though, it does sound obviously excessive and I do wonder about that. The second poem is plainly based on an earlier work, and is not at all clear, but as it has precedent, these two are about the same.
Mototoshi states: neither of these poems appears bad, so I say they tie.
おくしもにいろめかへしうつりつつはぎのさかりはけふながらみむ
| oku shimo ni irome kaeshi utsuritsutsu hagi no sakari wa kyō nagara mimu | With the falling frost Patterns of hues are exchanged and Ever shifting, so Upon the profuse bush-clover Will I gaze all day, today. |
[Fujiwara no] Ariyoshi
21
いとはしきものにもあるかなきくのはなうつろふとやはいろをみすべき
| itowashiki mono ni mo aru kana kiku no hana utsurou to ya wa iro o misubeki | Something distasteful Is there about them, too! Chrysanthemum blooms Will fade, so why Must they display such passionate hues? |
[Minamoto no] Kintada
22
□□さとにをしみぞとむるきくのはな霜にうつろふいろをみむとか
| …sato ni oshimi zo tomuru kiku no hana shimo ni utsurou iro o mimu to ka | Around my … estate Regrets linger for The chrysanthemum blooms, Fading beneath the frost Would I see their hues, I wonder? |
Masau[1]
19
ももしきにうつろふいろははつしものおきてかひあるこよひなりけり
| momoshiki ni utsurou iro wa hatsushimo no okite kai aru koyoi narikeri | Within the hundred-fold palace Fading hues with First frost’s Fall have some significance Tonight. |
Nakatsura[2]
20
[1] Possibly Taira no Masau 平將文
[2] Possibly Minamoto no Nakatsura 源仲連
