Left.
最上河人の心の稲船もしばしばかりと聞かば頼まん
mogamigawa
hito no kokoro no
inabune mo
shibashi bakari to
kikaba tanoman |
Upon Mogami River,
Her heart is as
A rice-boat;
That but for a little while
She will hear me, is all my longing. |
Lord Ari’ie
989
Right (Win).
飛鳥川淵瀬ひまなき世の中に人のつらさぞ變らざりける
asukagawa
fuchi se himanaki
yo no naka ni
hito no tsurasa zo
kawarazarikeru |
On Asuka River
The deeps and shallows have no rest;
In this world of ours,
Her cruelty
Is unchanging. |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
990
The Right state: we have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem. The Left state: we wonder about the Right’s use of ‘the deeps and shallows have no rest’ (fuchi se himanaki).
In judgement: ‘Mogami River’ appears to be technically accomplished, but the final section sounds excessive. The deeps and shallows of Asuka River, indeed, do change constantly. The final section, too, seems fine. Thus, the Right wins.
もがみがははやくぞまさる天雲ののぼれはくだる五月雨のころ
mogamigawa
hayaku zo masaru
amagumo no
noboreba kudaru
samidare no koro |
The River Mogami
Flows exceeding fast;
Clouds within the heavens
Rise and fall
With the summer rains round now… |
Yoshida Kenkō
吉田兼好
In reply.
もがみ河ふかきにもあへずいな舟の心かるくも帰るなるかな
mogamigaFa
Fukaki ni mo aFezu
inabune no
kokoro karuku mo
kaFeru naru kana |
The River Mogami
Has no depths, so
The rice-boats
Light at heart
Do head home, it seems! |
Sadakata, Sanjō Minister of the Left
三条左大臣定方
いとどしく頼まるるかな最上川しばしばかりのいなと見つれば
itodoshiku
tanomaruru kana
mogamigawa
shibashi bakari no
ina to mitsureba |
O, how I am
Beseeched!
On Mogami River
For just a little while
The rice – your refusal – will fill my sight, then… |
Fujiwara no Shigeyuki (? – 995)
藤原相如
This poem is also no. 17 in Shigeyuki’s personal collection, Shigeyuki-shū .
An Eastern poem, from the province of Michinoku.
もがみ河のぼればくだるいな舟のいなにはあらずこの月ばかり
mogamigaFa
noboreba kudaru
inabune no
ina ni Fa arazu
kono tuki bakari |
On the River Mogami
Going upstream and down
Are the rice-boats;
Not a grain of truth –
Only this moonlight is the cause… |
Anonymous
On heat.
暑き日を海にいれたりも上川
atsuki hi o
umi ni iretari
mogami gawa |
At a hot day’s end the sun
Meets the sea
As does Mogami River. |
(1689)
'Simply moving and elegant'