照る月の桂の川し清ければうえした秋の紅葉をぞ見る
teru tuki no katura no kaFa si kiyokereba uFe sita aki no momidi wo zo miru |
The moon shines Upon the river at Katsura, So pure that Upstream and down in autumn, Scarlet leaves I see. |
照る月の桂の川し清ければうえした秋の紅葉をぞ見る
teru tuki no katura no kaFa si kiyokereba uFe sita aki no momidi wo zo miru |
The moon shines Upon the river at Katsura, So pure that Upstream and down in autumn, Scarlet leaves I see. |
Left (Tie).
おなじ瀬をのぼる鮎子に大井河くだりぞあらぬ篝火の影
onaji se o noboru ayuko ni ōigawa kudari zo aranu kagaribi no kage |
At the same swift waters: Sweetfish sprats head up The Ōi River, Waiting, unmoving are The lighted fishing-fires. |
217
Right (Tie).
桂川くだりもあらぬ鵜舟かなこの瀬にのみや鮎子さばしる
katsuragawa kudari mo aranu ubune kana kono se ni nomi ya ayuko sabashiru |
Upon Katsura River, Waiting, unmoving are The cormorant boats; Is it only at these swift waters, that The sweetfish sprats do race? |
218
Neither team sees any difficulties with the other’s poems this round.
Shunzei comments tersely, ‘Both poems use “sweetfish sprats”, and this old-fashioned term cannot help but give them a less than pleasant air. Neither is worthy of victory.’
Left (Tie).
我君の常盤のかげは秋もあらじ月の桂の千世にあふとも
wa ga kimi no tokiwa no kage wa aki mo araji tsuki no katsura no chiyo ni au tomo |
Upon my Lord’s Evergreen face Never, shall autumn show, Though he match the moon’s silver trees’ Thousand Ages. |
199
Right (Tie).
散もせじ衣にすれるさゝ竹の大宮人のかざす櫻は
chiri mo seji koromo ni sureru sasatake no ōmiyabito no kazasu sakura wa |
Not a petal will fall! In robes printed with Bamboo, The palace folk, have Arranged cherry blossom. |
200
Left.
花の香のかすめる月にあくがれて夢もさだかに見えぬ比かな
hana no ka no kasumeru tsuki ni akugarete yume mo sadaka ni mienu koro kana |
The blossoms’ scent Befogs the moon; Thus lost, Certain it is that dreams Will not come now, perhaps… |
7
Right (Win)
春の夜は月の桂もにほふ覧光に梅の色はまがひぬ
haru no yo wa tsuki no katsura mo niouran hikari ni ume no iro wa magainu |
On a night in springtime The moon’s silver trees, too, Must give out their fragrance; In such light the plums’ Hues can be mistaken. |
8
In the year in which Lord Tamemasa was Imperial messenger to the festival at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, on the day after I been a dancer there and was returning home, on wearing blossom in our hair:
桂川かざしの花の影みえしきのふのふちぞ今日は戀しき
katuragaFa kazasi no Fana no kage miesi kinoFu no Futi zo keFu Fa koFisiki |
By the River Katsura The blossom in your hair Shining I saw: The tranquil, violet deeps of yesterday Are dear, indeed, to me today. |
When she was a Katsura, in reply to a letter sent asking after her from Her Majesty, the Shichijō Empress [Onshi].
久方のなかに生ひたる里なれば光をのみぞ賴むべらなる
Fisakata no naka ni oFitaru sato nareba Fikari wo nomi zo tanomuberanaru |
The everlasting (moon): Growing in its midst Is my home, so In its light alone Can I place my trust. |
Ise
伊勢