At the foot of a bridge.
かづらきや高間の山の山かぜに花こそわたれくめの岩ばし
| kazuragi ya takama no yama no yamakaze ni hana koso watare kume no iwabashi | In Kazuragi, From Takama peak The mountain breeze Carries e’en the blossom Over the broken stone bridge of Kume. |
22

Round Fourteen
Left (Win)
ちりちらず花より外の色ぞなきかさなる山の嶺の春風
| chiri chirazu hana yori hoka no iro zo naki kasanaru yama no mine no harukaze | Scattered, or not, Other than the blossoms’ Hues are there none Layered upon the mountain Peaks by the breeze in springtime.[1] |
Shō
27
Right
かづらきやたかまの山はうづもれて空に棚引く春のしら雲
| kazuragi ya takama no yama wa uzumorete sora ni tanabiku haru no shirakumo | In Kazuragi Takama Mountain Is buried by Trailing across the skies Clouds of white in springtime. |
Nagatsuna
28
The Left’s poem appears fine. The Right’s poem, having ‘Takama Mountain is buried’ is both pretentious and does not link to anything. The Left must win.




[1] An allusive variation on: On a folding screen for the Kamo Virgin, for the place showing people going along a mountain path. ちりちらずきかまほしきをふるさとの花見て帰る人もあはなん chiri chirazu / kikamahoshiki o / furusato no / hana mitekaeru / hito mo awanan ‘Are they scattered, or not, is / What I would ask, but / The ancient estate’s / Blossom having seen and returned— / Those folk I would have you meet.’ Ise (SIS I: 49)
Round Eleven
Left
しら雲の朝たつ山のからにしき枝に一むら春風ぞ吹く
| shirakumo no asa tatsu yama no karanishiki eda ni hito mura harukaze zo fuku | Clouds of white Arising with the morning on the mountain: Cathay brocade In a single bunch upon the branch Blown by the breeze of spring! [1] |
Supernumerary Major Counsellor Moto’ie
21
Right (Win)
かづらきや嶺の桜のさきしより心の空にかかるしら雲
| kazuragi ya mine no sakura no sakishi yori kokoro no sora ni kakaru shirakumo | Upon Kazuragi Peak, the cherries Have bloomed and ever since The heavens of my heart are Draped with clouds of white. |
Lord Nobunari
22
The Left’s poem has ‘Arising with the morning on the mountain: Cathay brocade in a single bunch upon the branch’ and, while it mentions spring breezes in its final section and does not fail to reflect the surface appearance of its source poem, conveys a feeling of scarlet leaves without mentioning blossom or cherry, which I have to say is something of a fault. The Right’s poem does not seem poor and lacks any faults worth mentioning, so it should win.




[1] An allusive variation on SIS IV: 220.
Composed as a spring poem, when he presented poems to the Poetry Office.
葛城やたかまの桜さきにけりたつたのおくにかかる白雲
| kazuragi ya takama no sakura sakinikeri tatsuta no oku ni kakaru shirakumo | In Kazuragi, On Takama peak the cherry Has bloomed! To the heart of Tatsuta Cling clouds of white…[1] |
Jakuren

[1] An allusive variation on KKS I: 59 and Wakan rōeishū II: 409/SKKS XI: 990.
As a poem on blossom, when he presented a hundred poem sequence to Former Emperor Sutoku.
かづらきやたかまの山のさくら花雲井のよそにみてや過ぎなん
| kaduragi ya takama no yama no sakurabana kumowi no yoso ni mite ya suginan | In Kazuragi On the peak of Takama are Cherry blossoms: Being beyond the clouds Should I overlook them? |
Master of the Left Capital Office Akisuke

Haze
み冬つぎ春しきぬれば青柳のかづらき山に霞たなびく
| mifuyu tsugi haru shikinureba aoyagi no kazuragiyama ni kasumi tanabiku | After deep winter’s passing Spring has come, so Across willow-green Kazuragi Mountain The haze does trail. |

Left.
葛城や久米路の橋にあらねども絶えぬる中は渡る物かは
| kazuragi ya kumeji no hashi ni aranedomo taenuru naka wa wataru mono ka wa |
At Kazuragi The bridge of Kumeji It is not, yet Can a relationship that’s done Ever continue on? |
Lord Suetsune
1017
Right (Win).
葛城や渡しもはてぬ岩橋も夜の契はありとこそ聞け
| kazuragi ya watashi mo hatenu iwabashi mo yoru no chigiri wa ari to koso kike |
At Kazuragi lies The unfinished Bridge of stone: A vow at night There was, I hear! |
Ietaka
1018
Both Left and Right state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘the bridge of Kazuragi, while the Left has ‘a relationship that’s done’ (taenuru naka). As the bridge, from the very beginning, was never finished, it is not appropriate to say that it is ‘done’. ‘A vow at night’ (yoru no chigiri) seems to be referring to Kodaigimi’s ‘cannot endure’ (taenubeshi). The Right has certainly matched the conception of the bridge. Thus, I make the Right the winner.