Tag Archives: mountains

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 9

Round Nine

Left

川ぎりのふもとをこめて立ちぬれば空にぞ秋の山はみえける

kawagiri no
fumoto o komete
tachinureba
sora ni zo aki no
yama wa miekeru
The river mists
Around the foothills
Have risen, so
‘Tis in the skies that autumn
On the mountains is revealed.

Fukayabu
17

Right

年毎の紅葉ばながす立田川みなとや秋のとまりなるらん

toshigoto no
momijiba nagasu
tatsutagawa
minato ya aki no
tomari naruran
Every single year
Scarlet leaves wash down
The Tatsuta River;
Is it at the mouth that autumn
Might find its port?

18

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 8

Round Eight

Left

秋風の吹来る声はやまながらなみ立ちかへるおとぞきこゆる

akikaze no
fukikuru koe wa
yama nagara
nami tachikaeru
oto zo kikoyuru
The autumn breeze’s
Cry comes gusting;
And in the mountains,
The sound of waves washing back and forth
Comes to my ears.

15

Right

すみの江の松を秋風吹くからにこゑうちそふる沖つ白なみ

suminoe no
matsu o akikaze
fuku kara ni
koe uchisouru
oki tsu shiranami
At Suminoe
The pines by the autumn breeze
Are blown, so
The sound lies atop
The whitecaps in the offing.

16

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 7

Autumn

Round Seven

Left

秋山はからくれなゐに成りにけりいくしほしぐれふりてそめけん

akiyama wa
karakurenai ni
narinikeri
iku shio shigure
furite someken
The autumn mountains
To Cathay scarlet
Have turned;
How many dippings with drizzle
Have fallen to dye them so?

13[1]

Right (Win)

秋きぬとめにはさやかにみえねども風の音にぞおどろかれぬる

aki kinu to
me ni wa sayaka ni
mienedomo
kaze no oto ni zo
odorokarenuru
That autumn has come
With my eyes, clearly,
I cannot see, yet
The sound of the wind
Has startled me.

Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 14[2]


[1] Shokugosenshū VII: 429

[2] This poem was particularly highly evaluated and so is included in numerous other anthologies (Kokin rokujō I: 125), exemplary collections (Shinsen waka 2) and senka awase – contests assembled from prior poems (Shunzei sanjū roku nin uta’awase 61; Jidai fudō uta’awase 49).

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 3

Round Three

Left

氷とくはるたちくらしみよしののよしののたきのこゑまさるなり

kōri toku
haru tachikurashi
miyoshino no
yoshino no taki no
koe masarunari
Ice melting
Spring has come on scene, it seems;
In fair Yoshino,
Yoshino Falls’
Roar is fine, indeed!

5

Right (Win)

はなの色はかすみにこめてみえずともかをだにぬすめ春の山風

hana no iro wa
kasumi ni komete
miezu tomo
ka o dani nusume
haru no yamakaze
The blossoms’ hues
Have blended with the haze, so
I see them not, yet
Their very scent is plundered by
Spring’s breezes from the mountains.

6

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 2

Round Two

Left

年のうちに春はきにけりひととせをこぞとやいはん今年とやいはん

toshi no uchi ni
haru wa kinikeri
hito tose o
kozo to ya iwan
kotoshi to ya iwan
Within the year
Spring has come once more, so
A single year:
Should I say ‘tis last year, or
Should I say ‘tis this one?

Ariwara no Motokata
3[1]

Right (Win)

みよしのの山べにさけるさくら花雪かとのみぞあやまたれける

miyoshino no
yamabe ni sakeru
sakurabana
yuki ka to nomi zo
ayamatarekeru
In fair Yoshino
In the mountains, the flowering
Cherry blossoms:
Simply for snow
I did mistake them!

Ki no Tomonori

4[2]


[1] Kokin rokujō I: 1

[2] Kokinshū I: 60

Horikawa-in Enjo Awase 15

人しれぬ袖ぞ露けき逢ふことはかれのみまさる山のした草

hito shirenu
sode zo tsuyukeki
au koto wa
kare nomi masaru
yama no shitagusa
Unknown to all
My sleeves are drenched with dew;
For our meetings
Excel only in being withered
As the scrub grass on the mountainside.

[Nakako,] The Suō Handmaid
29

In reply.

おく山の下かげ草はかれやする軒ばにのみはおのれなりつつ

oku yama no
shitakagegusa wa
kare ya suru
nokiba ni nomi wa
onore naritsutsu
Deep within the mountains, have
The grasses growing in the trees’ dark shade
Really withered away?
Simply beneath your eaves,
Is where I ever am…

The Consultant Middle Captain
30

A picture of the eaves of a traditional Japanese house.
Image by joyfultta from Pixabay

Horikawa-in enjo awase 1

This match took place when, hearing that his courtiers were composing poetry, His Majesty ordered them to compose love poems to the ladies in attendance.

おもひあまりいかでもらさんおく山の岩かきこむる谷の下みづ

omoi’amari
ikade morasan
okuyama no
iwa kakikomuru
tani no shitamizu
My passion’s full, so
How should it o’erflow?
Deep within the mountains
Hemmed in by crags are
The waters of the valley floor…

Major Counsellor Kinzane
1

In reply

いかなれば音にのみきく山川の浅きにしもはこころよすらん

ika nareba
oto ni nomi kiku
yamakawa no
asaki ni shimo wa
kokoro yosuran
For some reason,
I simply hear the sound
Of a mountain stream;
Into the shallows, indeed, has
Your heart been swept, it seems!

[Nakako,] The Suō Handmaid
2

Koresada shinnō-ke uta’awase 29

いりひさす山とぞ見ゆるもみぢばのあきのことごとてらすなりけり

irihi sasu
yama to zo miyuru
momijiba no
aki no kotogoto
terasu narikeri
The setting sun shines
On the mountains, and it seems
The scarlet leaves
All of autumn
Do illuminate.

57

ひさかたのつきのかつらもあきはなほもみぢすればやてりまさるらん[1]

hisakata no
tsuki no katsura mo
aki  wa nao
momiji sureba ya
terimasaruran
On the eternal
Moon the silver trees too
In Autumn
Change their hues;
Is that why you shine so bright?

58


[1] This poem was included in Kokinshū (IV: 194), where it is attributed to Mibu no Tadamine.