An ancient-styled poem to supplement a long poem.
君が世に相坂山の岩清水木隠れたりと思ける哉
| kimi ga yo ni aFusakayama no iFasimidu kogakuretari to omoFikeru kana |
Your Majesty’s reign Is welcome so, as on the mount of Meeting Hill, Spring water from the crags Is hidden in the trees, thus I am I sunk in thought! |
Mibu no Tadamine
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.
A poem with two envoys, composed in respectful response to Tachiyama.
朝日さし そがひに見ゆる 神ながら 御名に帯ばせる 白雲の 千重を押し別け 天そそり 高き立山 冬夏と 別くこともなく 白栲に 雪は降り置きて 古ゆ あり来にければ こごしかも 岩の神さび たまきはる 幾代経にけむ 立ちて居て 見れども異し 峰高み 谷を深みと 落ちたぎつ 清き河内に 朝さらず 霧立ちわたり 夕されば 雲居たなびき 雲居なす 心もしのに 立つ霧の 思ひ過ぐさず 行く水の 音もさやけく 万代に 言ひ継ぎゆかむ 川し絶えずは
| asapi sasi sogapi ni miyuru kamu nagara mina ni obasesu sirakumo no tipe wo osiwake ama sosori takaki tatiyama puyu natu to waku koto mo naku sirotape ni yuki pa puri okite inisipe yu arikinikereba kogosikamo ipa no kamusabi tama kiparu ikuyo penikemu tatiwite miredomo ayasi minedakami tani wo pukami to otitagitu kiyoki ka puti ni asa sarazu kiri tati watari yupu sareba kumowi tanabiki kumowi nasu kokoro mo sino ni tatu kiri no omopi sugusazu yuku midu no woto mo sayakeku yoroduyo ni ipitugi yukamu kapa si taezu wa |
The morning sun shines At my back,and Divine Your great name links: Clouds of white In a thousand layers, you pierce, and Tower into the heavens, Tall Tachiyama! In winter and, in summer both Indistinguishably are you Clad in mulberry white Fallen drifts of snow; Since ancient days Ever has been your estate, Fastened round with Crags divine； ‘til all souls end Have countless ages passed! Standing here, I see you, yet am awed by Your lofty peak and Valley’s deep, where Plunge seething cataracts of Waters pure to pools where Morning never leaves – Mists rise and roll across, and When the evening comes Clouds trail in and Cover all, Even, with sadness, my heart, so The rising mists Never leave my thoughts, and of Your running waters’ Clear, pure sound Through ten thousand ages Will I ever tell Unending as a river’s flow… |
Ōtomo no Ikenushi
大伴池主
Left (Tie).
吉野河はやき流れを堰く岩のつれなき中に身を砕くらん
| yoshinogawa hayaki nagare o seku iwa no tsurenaki naka ni mi o kudakuran |
The River Yoshino’s Swift flow is Dammed by boulders; With the chilling of our bond It seems my very self will shatter… |
A Servant Girl
995
Right.
ありとても逢はぬためしの名取川朽ちだにはてよ瀬せの埋れ木
| ari tote mo awanu tameshi no natorigawa kuchi dani hateyo sese no mumoregi |
We live, yet Cannot meet – our situation A source of rumours; in the River Natori Let all rot away with The drowned trees in the rapids! |
Jakuren.
996
Both Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: both poems are extremely good. This is a tie of quality.
Left.
我戀に深さくらへば外山哉吉野の奧の岩のかけ道
| wa ga koi ni fukasa kuraeba toyama kana yoshino no oku no iwa no kakemichi |
My love’s Depth were you to measure, Distant mountains, perhaps? As in the heart of Yoshino, where The craggy paths are overgrown! |
Lord Ari’ie.
963
Right (Win).
ふみ見ても馴れぬけしきのつれなさや吉野の奧の岩のかけ道
| fumi mitemo narenu keshiki no tsurenasa ya yoshino no oku no iwa no kakemichi |
She read my letter – I treading on paths unknown – And cared not – an unfamiliar scene – Is her cruelty As in the heart of Yoshino, where The craggy paths are overgrown? |
Ietaka.
964
The Right state: in the Left’s poem, the expression ‘distant mountains, perhaps’ (toyama kana) sounds poor. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: both Left and Right have precisely identical sections: ‘as in the heart of Yoshino’ (yoshino no oku) and ‘craggy paths are overgrown’ (iwa no kakemichi), but considering the initial sections, it has already been stated that the Left’s sounds poor, while the Right lacks faults. Thus, in accordance with the remarks by the Gentlemen of both teams, the Right is the winner.
山川の岩こす波にうちそへて谷 響くなり蟬の諸声
| yamakawa no iwa kosu nami ni uchisoete tani hibiku nari semi no morogoe |
Mountain torrents Cross the rocks in waves Along with The echoes in the valley From the swarming cicadas’ songs. |
Minamoto no Akinaka
[One of] five poems composed when dropping anchor at Nagadojima in Aki province.
石走る瀧もとどろに鳴く蝉の声をし聞けば都し思ほゆ
| ipabasiru taki mo todoro ni naku semi no kowe o si kikeba miyako si omopoyu |
Running o’er the rocks Cataracts resound – When the singing cicadas Song I hear The capital comes to my thoughts. |
Ōishi no Minomaro
大石蓑麻呂
Left (Tie).
象潟や妹戀ひしらにさ寢る夜の磯の寢覺に月傾きぬ
| kisakata ya koishirani sanuru yo no iso no nezame ni tsuki katabukinu |
In Kisakata and In love; I sleep the night away, and Awaking on the rocky shore Behold the moon descending. |
Kenshō
897
Right.
清見潟岩敷く袖の浪の上に思ふもわびし君が面影
| kiyomigata iwa shiku sode no nami no ue ni omou mo wabishi kimi ga omokage |
At Kiyomigata Sleeves spread atop the rocks, Waves breaking atop them; Heart filled with pain At the memory of your face… |
Jakuren
898
Left and Right both state that the opposing poem is pretentious.
In judgement: the Left’s poem seems well-constructed in its initial and final sections. However, as in Mototoshi’s poem long ago, ‘breaking a stem of miscanthus on the beach at Ise’, this seems to be a case of poetic allusion. The Right’s ‘Sleeves spread atop the rocks, waves breaking atop them’ (iwa shiku sode no nami no ue) seems to have been newly composed and seems elegant, but the final section is somewhat inferior. The Left has beginning and end matching. The Right has a superior initial section, but an inferior final one. Thus, the round ties.
Topic unknown.
種しあれば岩にも松は生ひにけり恋をし恋ひば逢はざらめやは
| tane si areba iFa ni mo matu Fa oFinikeri koFi o si koFiba aFazarame ya Fa |
A seed there was, then Atop the crags a pine tree Grew; Being so in love, How is it that we do not meet? |
Anonymous
Composed to be presented as part of a hundred poem sequence, when former Emperor Reizei was Crown Prince.
風をいたみ岩うつ波の己のみくだけてものを思ふ頃かな
| kaze wo itami iFa utu nami no onore nomi kudakete mono wo omoFu koro kana |
The howling winds Strike waves against the crags; I alone, Am shattered, gloom Filling my thoughts these days… |
Minamoto no Shigeyuki
源重之