Left
あひみてもつつむおもひのくるしきはひとまにのみぞねはなかれける
| aimitemo tsutsumu omoi no kurushiki wa hitoma ni nomi zo ne wa nakareru | Though we have met, The fires of my passion, covered, Bring only pain, so Hidden from all others’ eyes, I simply Let out sobbing cries. |
70
Right
なつぐさにあらぬものからひとこふるおもひしげくもなりまさるかな
| natsugusa ni aranu mono kara hito kouru omoishigeku mo narimasaru kana | A blade of summer grass I am not, but My love for her Has grown lush with passion Most excessive! |
71
Left (Win)
大和路や軽の市女に言問はん逢につらさをいかがかふべき
| yamatoji ya karu no ichime ni koto towan au ni tsurasa o ikaga kaubeki | On the road to Yamato, At Karu, of a merchant-girl I do enquire: For a meeting, this pain How can I trade? |
Lord Suetsune
1193
Right
立ちくらす市女もさこそ歎くらめ心をかへて思ひ知るかな
| tachikurasu ichime mo sakoso nagekurame kokoro o kaete omoishiru kana | All day long The merchant-girl does also Seem to grieve; Trade your heart for hers and You will know it, too! |
Lord Tsune’ie
1194
Left and Right state: ‘merchant-girl’ (ichime) is undesirable.
In judgement: both poems refer to a ‘merchant-girl’, and although there does not seem to be a great deal of stylistic difference between them, the Right’s ‘the merchant-girl does also seem to grieve’ (ichime mo sakoso nagekurame) does not make it make it clear what she is grieving about. While the Left’s ‘at Karu, of a merchant-girl’ (karu no ichime) is overblown, ‘for a meeting, this pain’ (au ni tsurasa) makes this clear. The Left should win.