When the heart of a woman whom he had been visiting frequently showed no sign of melting, he sent this to her to say that months and years had passed and they were still in such a state.
なにはがたみぎはのあしのおいがよに怨みてぞふる人の心を
| naniFagata migiFa no asi no oFi ga yo ni uramite zo Furu Fito no kokoro wo | In Naniwa’s tidelands By the waterside the reeds Growing old within this world How I despise the passing time– And your hard heart… |
Anonymous
なにはがたみぎはのあしのいつまでかほにいでずしも秋を忍ばん
| naniwagata migiwa no ashi no itsu made ka ho ni idezu shimo aki o shinoban | In Naniwa’s tidelands, By the waterside reeds How long must I Refrain from bursting out, and Repress the surfeit of it?[i] |
563
[i] See: When the heart of a woman whom he had been visiting frequently showed no sign of melting, he sent this to her to say that months and years had passed and they were still in such a state. なにはがたみぎはのあしのおいがよに怨みてぞふる人の心を naniwagata/ migiwa no ashi no / oi ga yo ni / uramite zo furu / hito no kokoro o ‘In Naniwa’s tidelands / By the waterside the reeds / Growing old within this world / How I despise the passing time– / And your hard heart…’ Anonymous (Gosenshū XVI: 1170)
Poetry Match held by Noritada, Confucian Tutor to the Heir Apparent[i]
Topics
Poets
Judge
Sweet-flags in the Valley
Left
たにふかみたづねてぞひくあやめぐさちとせあるべきくすりとおもへば
| tani fukami tazunete zo hiku ayamegusa chitose arubeki kusuri to omoeba | Deep within the valley Seek and pick Sweet-flags! For a thousand years longevity Will their draught bring, I feel… |
1
Right
たにふかみおふるあやめのながきねはひきかつ人もあらじとぞおもふ
| tani fukami ouru ayame no nagaki ne wa hiki katsu hito mo araji to zo omou | Deep within the valley Grow sweet-flags— So long their roots that A skillful picker Is there none, I feel! |
2
Nine-knotted sweet-flags grow in valleys atop rocks, so every year on this day, folk gather together and pick sweet-flag roots to make medicine from them, so one should compose as though cupping the water of this conception in one’s hands. The overall impression of the Right’s poem, while it may be something encountered occasionally, is that it shows ignorance of the conception of the topic and only refers to how long the roots are—it loses, but there may be some depth there.
こころあさきみぎはにおふるあやめぐさひきどころなきものにざりける
| kokoro asaki migiwa ni ouru ayamegusa hikidokoro naki mono ni zarikeru | Conception shallow Right by the water’s edge a’growing Are sweet flags: There’s no value in picking Such things! |
Judge 1
[i] Tōgū gakushi noritada uta’awase 東宮学士義忠歌合
Round Six
Left (T – Tie)
うかりける汀におふるうきぬ縄くることなくていくよ経ぬらん
| ukarikeru migiwa ni ouru uki nunawa kuru koto nakute ikuyo henuran | Downcast, By the water’s edge a’growing, Drifting, a water-shield am I— Since he has ceased to come, How much time has passed? |
Lady Shōshō
59
Right (M – Win)
夜とともに袖のみぬれて衣川こひこそわたれ逢瀬なければ
| yo to tomo ni sode nomi nurete koromogawa koi koso watare ause nakereba | With the coming of night My sleeves are simply soaked— The River Robe Goes on does my love, Though meetings are there not… |
Lady Shinano
60
Toshiyori states: neither Left nor Right appears to have any faults. They are, as expected, somewhat trite, so I would say they are equivalent.
Mototoshi says: both of these poems seem pleasant. ‘Love going on without a meeting’ is particularly charming.
Round Five
Left (T – Tie)
つれなさのためしは誰ぞたれにても人なげかせてはてはよしやは
| tsurenasa no tameshi wa ta zo tare nite mo hito nagekasete hate wa yoshi ya wa | For cold cruelty Who is your exemplar? Whoever it might be, Is causing one such grief A good thing, in the end? |
Lord Morotoshi
57
Right (M – Win)
逢ふ事をまつの汀に年ふればしづえに波のかけぬ日ぞなき
| au koto o matsu no migiwa ni toshi fureba shizue ni nami no kakenu hi zo naki | For a meeting Pining by the waters’ edge As the years go by— Lower boughs by waves Washed not on any day, at all… |
Lord Sadanobu
58
Toshiyori states: it is impossible to say that that the configuration and diction of the first poem is anything special. In the second poem, ‘For a meeting / Pining by the waters’ edge’ has poetic qualities, but continuing with ‘Lower boughs by waves / Washed not on any day, at all’ does not seem like a love poem, and if the poet had wanted to allude to tears here, well, it just doesn’t sound like it, does it. The Left has the conception of a Love poem, but it language lacks elegance; the Right is smooth, but has only a faint conception of love, and thus these tie.
Mototoshi states: this poem’s diction is particularly bizarre. What an objectionably unpleasant feeling of love! One does see this in the passage giving the reply by Nakatomi no Tokuin, and then there seems to have been the poem ‘go on then, you creeper’, but that one continues extremely charmingly, while this sounds ghastly. Then ‘For a meeting / Pining by the waters’ edge’, truly is a charming composition, and the subsequent ‘Lower boughs by waves / Washed not on any day, at all’ seems entirely clear. It seems to approach the quality of Komachi’s poem, to me! This is a win for the Right, I have to say.
Cranes in a garden (庭上鶴馴)
Left
庭の面に人になれたるあしたづはよはひをきみにゆづるなるべし
| niwa no omo ni hito ni naretaru ashitazu wa yowai o kimi ni yuzurunarubeshi | Upon this garden’s face stands, Accustomed to folk, A crane; His years to my Lord Will he bestow, no doubt! |
A Court Lady
31
Right
千とせふるやどのけしきやしるからん汀のたづのなれにけるかな
| chitose furu yado no keshiki ya shirukaran migiwa no tazu no narenikeru kana | Is it that a thousand years old This dwelling does appear? For to the muddy Water’s edge the cranes Have become accustomed! |
A Court Lady
32