The Right state: the Left’s poem sounds pretentious. We are also unable to accept the use of ‘colt, you are not’ (komagoma). The Left state: the Right’s poem sounds archaic.
In judgement: ‘Dishevelled in appearance as a piebald’ (araki keshiki o midarao) is entirely unacceptable style. As for ‘covered with kuzu’, while ‘field is all’ (no mo se) is also undesirable, the final section is elegant. It should win over ‘piebald’.
The Right state that the initial line of the Left’s poem is ‘awkward’ [amari nari], and that they cannot approve of the final use of ya. The Left wonder about the appropriateness of ‘Holds all my regrets’ (uramihatenuru).
Shunzei’s judgement: The Gentlemen of the Right have a number of criticisms of the Left’s poem. However, with careful consideration, while the poem is not tasteful in its entirety [subete yū ni shimo arazaredo], the initial line does not seem that strange, and the final ya is fine, is it not? The Right’s ‘The clumps of miscanthus grass from time to time across the fields do wave’ is tasteful [yū naru], but all that connects with ‘arrowroot’, is the subsequent ‘seeing what lies beneath’. ‘Arrowroot’ is too briefly in the poem for this. The initial and final sections of the Left’s poem have been criticised by the Gentlemen of the Right, but they are not without purpose. Thus, the Left wins.
After Izumi Shikibu had been abandoned by Michisada, Akazome Emon heard that almost immediately Prince Atsumichi had begun to visit her, and sent her this:
うつろはでしばしゝのだのもりをみよかへりもぞするくずのうら風
utsurowade
shibashi shinoda no
mori o miyo
kaeri mo zo suru
kuzu no ura kaze
Turn not! And
For a while on Shinoda
Forest rest your gaze!
For it may return again:
The breeze ‘neath the arrowroot leaves.
kuzu no ha ni
urami ni kaeru
yume no yo o
wasure gatami no
nobe no aki kaze
The arrowroot leaves
Show their undersides–in despite I return
To a dream–the world of lovers–
So difficult to forget–
In the breeze across the fields.
The Daughter of Master of the Dowager Empress’ Household Office Toshinari