Spring
Round 1
Left
やま風にとくる氷のひまごとにうち出づる浪や春の初花
yamakaze ni tokuru kōri no hima goto ni uchi’izuru nami ya haru no hatsuhana With the mountain breeze
Minamoto no Maszumi[1]
Right (Win)
春霞たつひの風のいとなれや滝のをとけて玉とみだるる
harugasumi tatsu hi no kaze no ito nare ya taki no o tokete tama to midaruru The haze of spring
2
[1] Kokin rokujo I: 5
久方の天照る月のにごりなく君が御代をばともにとぞ思ふ
hisakata no ama teru tsuki no nigorinaku kimi ga miyo oba tomo ni to zo omou The eternal
9
宵よひに秋の草葉におく露の玉にぬかむととれば消えつつ[1]
yoiyoi ni aki no kusaba ni oku tsuyu no tama ni nukamu to toreba kietsutsu Night after night
10
[1] This poem is also Shinsenzaishū 316, where it is attributed to Ōshikōchi no Mitsune.
Topic unknown.
小笹原葉末の露は玉に似て石なき山を行く心地する
ozasawara
In the groves of young broad-leaved bamboo
Saigyō
小笹原染み身における白露を飽きは絶えせぬ玉とこそ見れ
ozasawara
The groves of young broad-leaved bamboo
Fujiwara no Akinaka
When he was composing on the autumn moon.
葎しく庵の庭の夕露を玉にもてなす秋の夜の月
mukurashiku
Tangled weeds spread around
Saigyō
あるが上に花の咲きそふ橘は皐月の玉に貫かむためなり
aru ga ue ni
Up above
Fujiwara no Nakazane (1064-1122)
Left (Win).
幾夜我浪にしほれて貴舟河袖に玉散る物思ふらん
ikuyo ware
Nights without number will I
A Servant Girl .
671
Right.
貴船川百瀬の浪も分過ぬ濡れ行く袖の末を頼みて
kifunegawa
Kifune River’s
Jakuren .
672
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem is fine, overall. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem is without fault.
Shunzei’s judgement: Both Left and Right poems on ‘Kifune River’ (kifunegawa ) seem tasteful [yū ], but rather than the Right’s final ‘Do I plead for an ending’ (sue o tanomite ), the Left’s ‘Scatter jewels on my sleeves’ (sode ni tama chiru ) sounds particularly good. The Left must win.
底淸み沈ける玉を見まく欲り千たびぞ告りし潛きする海人
sökö kiyomi
Clear to the seabed
On jewels .
海の底沈く白玉風吹きて海は荒るとも取らずはやまじ
wata nö sökö
On the sea bed
'Simply moving and elegant'