Tag Archives: koi

Horikawa-in enjo awase 2

The same Major Counsellor, writing vertically upon delicate scarlet paper.

年ふともいはで朽ちぬる埋木の下の心はふりぬ恋かな

toshi futomo
iwade kuchinuru
umoregi no
shita no kokoro wa
furinu koi kana
The years pass by, yet
Without a word, has rotted
The drowned tree—
Beneath it, my heart
Has grown old with love!

3

In reply

ふかからぬ水無瀬の川の埋木はしたの恋路は年ふりぬとも

fukakaranu
minase no kawa no
umoregi wa
shita no koiji wa
toshi furinu tomo
There’s no depth to
The River Minase, where
Drowned trees lie—
Beneath, the paths of love
Have grown old in years, and yet…

Chikuzen, Daughter of Prince Yasusuke
4

Shiki koi sanshu uta’awase – Love

Love

Left

恋せじと御手洗川に御祓して神うけつらんとおもほゆるかな

koi seji to
mitarashigawa ni
oharaishite
kami uketsuran to
omohoyuru kana
I’ll not fall in love, and
At the River Mitarashi
Purify myself—
Would the gods then accept me,
I wonder!

25

恋なれどそこにもすまぬひれはみづにごれりとおもほゆるかな

koi naredo
soko ni mo sumanu
hire wa mizu
nigoreri to
omohoyuru kana
This is love, yet
The deeps are all disturbed, with
Fins the waters
Clouding,
I feel!

26

こひわたる程のふかさにそめ川の色あさからじとおもほゆるかな

koiwataru
hodo no fukasa ni
somekawa no
iro asakaraji to
omohoyuru kana
So long have I loved you that
The depths of
Dyers’ River have
Lost their pale hues
I feel!

27

Right

おもふとて夕ぐれがたのながめをや人待つほどの恋といふらん

omou tote
yūguregata no
nagame o ya
hito matsu hodo no
koi to iuran
Thinking of him
As evening draws on, and
I gaze on long rains falling; is
Time pining for a man
Being in love, I wonder?

28

年の内にあまる月日の有りければかぞへのうちにははわぶるかな

toshi no uchi ni
amaru tsuki hi no
arikereba
kazoe no uchi ni
haha waburu kana
Throughout the year
The days and months mount up
So
Counting them
My mother grieves!

29

Love X: 28

Left
辰の市や日を待つ賤のそれならばあす知らぬ身にかにかへて逢ははまし

tatsu no ichi ya
hi o matsu shizu no
sore naraba
asu shiranu mi ni
kaete awamashi
For Tatsu market’s
Day, a peasant waits;
If I were he
In ignorance of the day to come
I would trade places – for I would meet you!

Lord Sada’ie
1195

Right (Win)
心ざし阿倍の市路に立つ人は恋に命をかへむとやする

kokorozashi
abe no ichiji ni
tatsu hito wa
koi ni inochi o
kaemu to ya suru
Those feelings –
On the road to Abe Market –
Of someone standing there,
Life for love
Would he exchange, I wonder?

The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
1196

The Right state: the conclusion of the Left is unacceptable given its beginning. The Left state: there is no natural flow in ‘those feelings – Abe’ (kokorozashi abe).

In judgement: with regard to the Left’s poem, the Gentlemen of the Right have already stated that the conclusion is unacceptable given its beginning. The Right’s poem, too, lacks natural flow in ‘those feelings – Abe’. Furthermore, the Left’s diction of stating ‘if I were he’ (sore naraba) and then ‘I would trade places – for I would meet you!’ (kaete awamashi) sounds rather tense, but ‘life for love’ (koi ni inochi) certainly has impact. Thus, the Right should win.

Love X: 24

Left (Win)
山深み歎きこる男のをのれのみ苦しくまどふ恋の道かな

yama fukami
nageki koru o no
onore nomi
kurushiku madou
koi no michi kana
Deep within the mountains
Felling trees, a woodsman’s
Axe, my grief
Leaves me in pained confusion
On the paths of love…

Lord Sada’ie
1187

Right
山人の帰る家路を思ふにも逢はぬ歎きぞ休むまもなき

yamabito no
kaeru ieji o
omou ni mo
awanu nageki zo
yasumu ma mo naki
A mountain man,
Homeward bound,
Is in my thoughts, but
Unable to meet with you grief
Gives me no respite.

Ietaka
1188

Left and Right together state: no faults to mention.

In judgement: the Left has a profound conception of love. The Right’s ‘homeward bound’ (kaeru ieji) and ‘unable to meet with you grief’ (awanu nageki) are extremely difficult to grasp, I think. The Left should win.

Love X: 23

Left (Tie)
我恋はしげきみ山の山人のさすがにえしもこりはてぬ哉

wa ga koi wa
shigeki miyama no
yamabito no
sasuga ni e shimo
korihatenu kana
My love is
Lush as a tree in the mountains’ heart;
The mountain men with
Their hatchets cannot even
Begin to fell it!

Ari’ie
1185

Right
秋かけてつま木こり積む山人ももゆる思の程は知らじな

aki kakete
tsumagi koritsumu
yamabito mo
moyuru omoi no
hodo wa shiraji na
Into autumn
Gathering piles of kindling
Even a mountain man,
The burning fires of my passion
Can hardly know…

Jakuren
1186

The Right state: in the Left’s poem, ‘hatchets’ (sasuga) fails to match properly. The Left state: the Right’s poem lacks faults to indicate.

In judgement: indeed, in the Left’s poem ‘hatchets’ does not sound like it matches properly. The Right’s poem has the initial ‘into autumn’ (aki kakete), but the conception of autumn does not sound necessary here. They are of the same quality.

Love X: 22

Left (Win)
斧の柄を何かあやしと思けんしばしの恋も袖は朽ちけり

ono no e o
nani ka ayashi to
omoiken
shibashi no koi mo
sode wa kuchikeri
An axe haft –
What is there strange in that
I wonder?
For with this brief love
My sleeves have rotted…

Kenshō
1183

Right
あさましや心をしほる山人も身におふ程の歎きをぞこる

asamashi ya
kokoro o shioru
yamabito mo
mi ni ou hodo no
nageki o zo koru
How surprising!
Heartbroken
A woodcutter, too,
Is burdened by
The tree of grief he fells…

Lord Takanobu
1184

Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.

In judgement: For the Left, I wonder how long a ‘brief love’ (shibashi no koi) lasts? For one’s sleeves to have rotted, surely a certain amount of time must have passed, but in configuration the poem is certainly elegant. The Right’s woodcutter (yamabito) sounds like he is saying rather too much about himself. The Left should win.