sacred streamers | Waka Poetry

Round Thirteen

Left

すみよしのあまくだりますまつのうへにそらよりかくる月のしらゆふ

sumiyoshi no
amakudarimasu
matsu no ue ni
sora yori kakuru
tsuki no shirayū

At Sumiyoshi
Did the Deity descend from Heaven
To the pines—upon them
From the skies are hung
The moon’s sacred streamers.

Kamo no Agatanushi Masahira
Kataoka Junior Assistant Priest[1]
25

Right (Win)

しめのうちにしらゆふかけぬひまぞなき月もたむけのこころありけり

shime no uchi ni
shirayū kakenu
hima zo naki
tsuki mo tamuke no
kokoro arikeri

Within the holy precints
Sacred streamers fail to hang
In not a single spot—
The moon to make an offering
Is of a mind.

Lord Fujiwara no Chikashige
Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade,
Without Office[2]
26

While the poem of the Left’s ‘From the skies are hung’ and so forth seems charming, I do wonder about the idea of the ‘Deity descending from Heaven / To the pines’—it’s vague. The poem of the Right’s conception and configuration of ‘The moon to make an offering’ appears pleasant, and thus it wins.

[1] Kataoka negi jūyon’ijō Kamo agatanushi Masahira 片岡禰宜従四位上賀茂県主政平

[2] San’i jūgoijō Fujiwara ason Chikashige 散位従五位上藤原朝臣親重

Round Ten

Left (Tie)

まつもみなしらゆふかけてすみよしの月のひかりもかみさびにけり

matsu mo mina
shirayū kakete
sumiyoshi no
tsuki no hikari mo
kamisabinikeri

The pine trees, every one,
Are hung with sacred streamers—
At Sumiyoshi
Even the moon’s light
Inspires awe.

Hyōenosuke, in service to the Junior Consort
(formerly Handmaid Mikawa, in service at the Nijō Palace)[1]
19

Right

かたそぎのゆきあはぬまよりもる月をさえぬしもとやかみは見るらむ

katasogi no
yuki awanu ma yori
moru tsuki o
saenu shimo to ya
kami wa miruramu

The ridge poles
Fail to entwine, and from the gaps
Drips moonlight—
As chill-less frost, I wonder,
Does the Deity regard it?

Lord Fujiwara no Naganori
Supernumerary Minor Captain in the Inner Palace Guards, Left Division
Exalted Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade[2]
20

The Left’s poem appears to have a pleasant configuration with ‘Even the moon’s light / Inspires awe’. The poem of the Right, furthermore, has a charming-sounding sequence with ‘As chill-less frost, I wonder, / Does the Deity regard it?’ but in composition one usually states that the moon is fair precisely because of its chill. Thus, when one compares it to true frost, can one say that it lacks it? While I do feel that this is somewhat vague, both the poems appear to pleasant configurations, so I make this a tie.

[1] Nȳogo no ie Hyōenosuke moto nijōin Mikawa no maishi女御家兵衛佐元二条院参河内侍

[2] Shōyon’ige-gyō konoe gonshōjō Fujiwara ason Naganori 正四位下行左近衛権少将藤原朝臣修範

Waka Poetry

Tag Archives: sacred streamers

Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 16

Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 13

Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen 10

MYS VII: 1403

'Simply moving and elegant'