Willow.
さほひめのねくたれがみをあをやぎのけづりやすらんはるのやまかぜ
| saohime no nekutaregami o aoyagi no kezuri ya suran haru no yamakaze | Princess Sao’s Sleep-tangled tresses Of green willow: Are they combed, perhaps, by The breeze from off the mountains in springtime? |
Tag Archives: mountains
Sen’yōden no nyōgo nadeshiko awase 02
Left
あしひきのやまとなでしこいろふかきけふやこふてふひとをまたまし
| ashihiki no yamato nadeshiko iro fukaki kyō ya kou chō hito o matamashi | Leg-wearying the Mountains of Yamato, the pinks’ Hues so deep, that I wonder for today and one to love them Have they awaited? |
Nakatsukasa
3[i]
Right (Tie)
みなそこにかげさへにほふなでしこはなみのはなをやいろにそむらむ
| minasoko ni kage sae niou nadeshiko ha nami no hana o ya iro ni somuramu | The very riverbed With their shapes does glow— Do the pinks Even the spray from off the waves Dye with their hues, I wonder? |
4[ii]
[i] A similar poem to this is included in Nakatsukasa’s personal collection, Nakatsukasa-shū (118): かきほなるやまとなでしこいろふかきけふやこふこふ人をまたまし kakio naru / yamato nadeshiko / iro fukaki / kyō ya kou / hito o matamashi ‘By the lattice fence / The Yamato pinks’ / Hues are so deep, that / I wonder for today and one to love them / Have they awaited?’
[ii] Some texts of this match have an alternate wording for this poem: みなそこにかげさへみゆるなでしこのなみのはなをやいろにそむらむ minasoko ni / kage sae miyuru / nadeshiko no / nami no hana o ya / iro ni somuramu ‘Upon the very riverbed / Their shapes do appear— / Do the pinks / Even the spray from off the waves / Dye with their hues, I wonder?’
Reikeiden no nyōgo uta’awase 07
Cherry Blossom
Left (Win)
さきさかずよそにてもみむやまざくらみねのしらくもたちなかくしそ
| saki sakazu yoso nite mo mimu yamazakura mine no shirakumo tachi na kakushi so | Whether they blossom, or blossom not In the distance would I gaze Upon the mountain cherries, so O, clouds of white around the peaks, Do not rise to conceal them! |
13[i]
Right
しらくものたつかとみゆるさくらばなやまのまもなくちりやかふらん
| shirakumo no tatsu ka to miyuru sakurabana yama no ma mo naku chiri ya kauran | ‘Have clouds, so white, Arisen?’ I wonder, beholding Cherry blossom, but Might the mountains, so swiftly, With their scattering, change? |
14
[i] This poem is included in Shūishū (I: 38), as an anonymous poem with the headnote ‘From a palace poetry match held in Tenryaku 9’. It is also included in Shūishō (I: 23) as an anonymous poem with the headnote ‘From a palace poetry match held on the 29th day of the Third Month, Tenryaku 9’.
Reikeiden no nyōgo uta’awase 05
Spring Showers
Left (Win)
をやみなくふらばふらなむはるさめはのにもやまにもはなのさくまで
| oyaminaku furuba furanamu harusame wa no ni mo yama ni mo hana no saku made | If endlessly They are to fall, then let them! Spring showers Upon the plains and mountains, both, Until the blossoms bloom… |
9
Right
はるさめのふりそめしよりのもやまもあさみどりにぞみえわたりける
| harusame no furisomeshi yori no mo yama mo asamidori ni zo miewatarikeru | Since spring showers Began to fall Upon both plains and mountains Pale green has Appeared all over! |
10
Motosuke-shū 196
When I had gone to a place called the Kawara Mansion with friends to view the plum blossom, and there was no plum blossom there, only the distant sight of cherry.
春霞たちななよりそうすくこき錦とみゆる山のさくらに
| harugasumi tachi na na yori so usu koki nishiki to miyuru yama no sakura ni | O, haze of spring, Arise not and cover not, Either thick or thin, The seeming brocade of Cherry o’er the mountains… |
Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo nen 03
Round Three
Left (Win)
わがやどの梅がえになくうぐひすは風のたよりにかをやとめこし
| wa ga yado no ume ga e ni naku uguisu wa kaze no tayori ni ka o ya tomekoshi | Upon my dwelling’s Branch of plum a’singing, Has the warbler By a message on the breeze Carrying fragrance perhaps been summoned? [i] |
Asatada
5[ii]
Right
さほひめのいとそめかくるあをやぎをふきなみだりそ春の山風
| saohime no ito somekakuru aoyagi o fuki na midari so haru no yamakaze | Princess Sao Has dyed the dangling threads of Green willow— O, don’t blow them into tangles, Spring breeze from the mountains! |
Kanemori
6
Warblers should have appeared here, but this is a poem about willows, so it loses.
しろたへの雪ふりやまぬ梅がえにいまぞうぐひす花となくなる
| shirotae no yuki furiyamanu ume ga e ni ima zo uguisu hana to nakunaru | White as mulberry cloth The snow falls unceasing— Upon the branch of plum, Now, indeed, the warbler, Sings of the blossom! |
Kanemori
7
Despite the mistaken composition, His Majesty required the original poem and it was located and recited.
Lord Hiromasa, the Reciter for the Right, mistakenly recited the willow poem. The Left raised an objection, saying, ‘He should have recited the warbler poem but, instead, erroneously recited the willow poem. Should he really be allowed to recite the correct poem now?’ The substance of the Left’s objection was conveyed to His Majesty, who instructed, ‘Provide a report based on prior precedent.’
This minor official advised His Majesty, ‘The Left’s objection is not unreasonable. However, matters such as this are best determined according to the circumstance of the occasion. As this was simply human error, why discriminate against the poem?’
Thus, His Majesty ordered that the poem be recited.
When he did so, Lord Hiromasa turned pale and was unable to recite the poem straight away. Although he finally managed to do so, his voice trembled and the Left laughed at him. Furthermore, the poem’s diction contained the nonsensical expression ‘sings of the blossom’, and thus this was still a loss.
[i] An allusive variation on: A poem from the Empress’ poetry competition held in the Kanpyō period. 花の香を風のたよりにたぐへてぞ鶯さそふしるべにはやる hana no ka o / kaze no tayori ni / taguete zo / uguisu sasou / shirube ni wa yaru ‘The blossoms’ scent / Messaged on the breeze / Brings / An invitation to the warbler / To try and bring him forth!’ Ki no Tomonori (Kokinshū I: 13)
[ii] This poem was included in Gyokuyōshū (I: 42), attributed to Asatada, with the headnote ‘On warblers, from the Palace Poetry Match in Tentoku 4’.
SKKS I: 94
When he presented a fifty-poem sequence.
たづねきて花にくらせる木のまよりまつとしもなき山のはの月
| tazunekite hana ni kuraseru ko no ma yori matsu to shimo naki yama no ha no tsuki | I came searching Blossom all day long Between the trees, when Though I’d not awaited it, saw The moon upon the mountains’ edge. |
Fujiwara no Masatsune
Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo-nen 07
Round Seven
Left (Win)
あしひきのやまがくれなるさくらばなちりのこれりと風にしらすな
| ashihiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana chirinokoreri to kaze ni shirasu na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, Do not tell the wind! |
Shōni no myōbu
14[1]
Right
としごとにきつつわがみるさくらばなかすみもいまはたちなかくしそ
| toshi goto ni kitsutsu wa ga miru sakurabana kasumi mo ima wa tachi na kakushi so | Every single year I hear of and gaze upon Cherry blossom: The haze, too, now Arising, don’t hide them! |
Nakatsukasa
15
The Left’s poem is extremely charming – that really is how things are.
The Right’s poem: where is it that you always hear of and then see them? This is a bit rough. There’s also no reason to include the expression ‘now’ here. Thus, the Left wins.
[1] A variant of this poem was later included in Shūishū (I: 66).
SIS I: 66
From a poetry match held during the reign of the Tenryraku Emperor.[i]
あしひきの山がくれなるさくら花ちりのこれりと風にしらるな
| asiFiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana tirinokoreri to kaze ni siraru na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, I would not have the wind discover! |
Shōni no myōbu
少弐命婦
[i] The poetry match in question is Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo-nen (‘Palace Poetry Match – Tentoku 4’; 960), held by Emperor Murakami 村上 (924-967; r. 946-967). The poem in the match is slightly different.