Spring
Left
春のたつ霞の衣うらもなく年を経てこそ花の散りけれ
haru no tatsu kasumi no koromo ura mo naku toshi o hete koso hana no chirikere Spring does sew
1
春の野の雪間をわけていつしかと君がためとぞ若菜摘みつる
haru no no no yuki ma o wakete itsushika to kimi ga tame to zo wakana tsumitsuru Across the springtime meadows
2
春霞かすみこめたる山里はこほりとくともかげはみえじを
harugasumi kasumi kometaru yamazato wa kōri toku tomo kage wa mieji o The haze of spring
3
Right
梅枝にきゐる鶯年毎に花の匂ひをあかぬ声する
ume ga e ni ki’iru uguisu toshigoto ni hana no nioi o akanu koesuru Upon the plum tree’s branches
4
桜色に花さく雨はふりぬとも千しほぞそめてうつろふなそで
sakurairo ni hana saku ame wa furinu tomo chishio zo somete utsurou na sode Cherry-coloured
5
青柳のいとはるばると緑なる行末までも思ひこそやれ
aoyagi no ito harubaru to midori naru yukusue made mo omoi koso yare The willow’s
6
ゆめののちむなしきとこはあらじかしあきののなかもこひしかりけり
yume no nochi munashiki toko wa araji kashi aki no no naka mo koishikarikeri After a dream of you
63
もみぢばのたまれるかりのなみだにはあきの月こそかげやどしけれ
momijiba no tamareru kari no namida ni wa aki no tsuki koso kage yadoshikere The scarlet leaves
64
あきのよにかりかもなきてわたるなる我が思ふ人のことづてやせる[1]
aki no yo ni On an autumn night
43
おく露にくちゆくのべのくさのはやあきのほたるとなりわたるらむ[2]
oku tsuyu ni kuchiyuku nobe no kusa no ha ya aki no hotaru to nariwataruramu Dew falls on
44
[1] A minor variant of this poem is included in Gosenshū (VII: 356 ), where it is attributed to [Ki no] Tsurayuki.
[2] This poem is included in Fubokushō (5548), where it is attributed to [Mibu no] Tadamine.
あきくればむしとともにぞなかれぬるひとも草ばもかれぬと思へば[1]
aki kureba mushi to tomo ni zo nakarenuru hito mo kusaba mo karenu to omoeba When the autumn comes
33
からにしきみだれるのべとみえつるはあきのこのはのふるにざりける
karanishiki midareru nobe to mietsuru wa aki no ko no ha no furu ni zarikeru For Cathay brocade
34
[1] This poem also occurs in Fubokushō (5580).
しら露のおきしくのべを見るごとにあはれは秋ぞかずまさりける
shiratsuyu no okishiku nobe o miru goto ni aware wa aki zo kazu masarikeru Silver dewdrops,
31
あきかぜのうちふくからにはなもはもみだれてもちるのべの草きか
aki kaze no uchifuku kara ni hana mo ha mo midarete mo chiru nobe no kusaki ka The autumn breeze
32
A profusion of deutzia flowers in full bloom
Left
白妙に卯花さけるかきねをばつもりし雪とおもひけるかな
shirotae ni u no hana sakeru kakine o ba tsumorishi yuki to omoikeru kana A spread of white mulberry cloth,
Minamoto no Narikata
Right
みわたせばたかねののべのうつぎ原みな白妙にさきにけるかな
miwatseba takane no nobe no utsugiwara mina shirotae ni sakinikeru kana When I gaze across
Ōe no Fumi’ichi
上野阿蘇山つづら野を広み延ひにしものをあぜか絶えせむ
kamituke no In Kamitsuke
A poem from a poetry competition held by Her Majesty, the Empress, during the Kanpyō period.
春の野に若菜つまむと来し物をちりかふ花に道はまどひぬ
Faru no no ni To the meadows in springtime
Tsurayuki
Left (Win)
karakuni no
In far Cathay are
Lord Ari’ie
Right
wa ga yado wa
At my home
Ietaka
The Gentlemen of the Right state: how can love be dangerous? The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: saying that the ‘paths of love are, at the end’ (koiji no sue ) dangerous is perfectly commonplace. ‘Is only a withered field of cogon grass’ (hito mo kareno no asajiwara ) seems to simply have taken the poem ‘Sedge fields lie / Around the estate of Fushimi, / All long overgrown; / He who passed across them / Has left no tracks at all…’ and swapped in ‘mount who once did cross it’ (kayoishi koma ). Changing a man into a mount is discomposing, indeed. Again, the Left should win.
鶯の飛火野野辺の雪の内にそれかとばかり匂ふ梅が枝
uguisu no
The warbler on
Gotoba
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'Simply moving and elegant'