Pine seedlings on the Day of the Rat (子日小松)
Left
ねの日する松の葉ごとにかぞふれば猶ぞつきせぬきみが千とせは
ne no hi suru matsu no ha goto ni kazoureba nao zo tsukisenu kimi ga chitose wa On this Day of the Rat
A Court Lady
Right
はるかなる君がよはひにくらべむと子日の松をけふは引くかな
harukanaru kimi ga yowai ni kurabemu to ne no hi no matsu o kyō wa hiku kana Distant is
A Court Lady
The Seventh Night 七夜
ちとせふる祝の松のつるの子はけふすをたちて七夜なりけり
chitose furu Ageing for a thousand years,
Higo
The Seventh Night 七夜
たけならぬ二葉の松のおひ初めてこよひ七夜になりにけるかな
take naranu A tiny
Tadafusa
Groves 原
枝ごとにいくそのちよをちぎるらんその神世よりいきの松源
eda goto ni In every single branch
Higo
Love Waiting for Someone 待人恋
いつとなくこぬみの浜の人まつとただよふなみのたえぬ日ぞなき
itsu to naku Never does
Toshiyori
A poem on a pine tree in Shigeoka in Atomi, by Ki no Shikahito
茂岡に神さび立ちて栄えたる千代松の木の年の知らなく
sigewoka ni In Shigeoka
Ki no Shikahito
Akamatsu
Left (Tie)
mukashi kiku
Long ago, I heard
Lord Sada’ie
Right
wagimoko ga
My darling’s
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
The Right state: the Left’s poem gives the impression of being based on something – but what? The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: there is nothing unusual about the Left’s poem. It simply seems to be in the conception of the Man’yōshū poem where, ‘a Japanese zither made from the wood of the parasol tree transforms into a maiden in a dream, and says “When will / The day come that / I shall sing / Making his lap / My pillow?”’ I also have the feeling that it is alluding to the subsequent poem, however. So, it is certainly not the case that it is not based on anything. The Right’s poem has ‘heartstrings are not tugged’ (kokoro no hikanu ) and then the metaphorical ‘though I pine for her’ (wa ga matsu ni koso ), so is certainly not lacking in conception either. They are equivalent and tie.
Left (Win).
yo to tomo ni
Together with the night
The Master 大夫
Right.
nami no yoru
The waves roll in
The Assistant Master 佐
君が代を尾上の松にくらべむに幾代の春か逢はむとすらむ
kimi ga yo o
My Lord, your reign
Fujiwara no Akisuke
When the gentlemen and ladies of the household of the Minister of the Left were getting dressed for a coming-of-age ceremony.
大原やをしほの山のこまつ原はや木高かれ千代の影みむ
oFoFara ya
At Ōhara,
Ki no Tsurayuki
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'Simply moving and elegant'
