hōriko ga shimeyū nobe no suzumushi wa yū tsukete koso furitatete nake
The priests have Garlanded the meadows where The bell crickets With the fall of evening Sing out so loud.
Major Archbishop 13
Right
神がきのいはねにさせる榊葉にゆふかけてなく鈴虫のこゑ
kamigaki no iwane ni saseru sakakiba ni yū kakete naku suzumushi no koe
Within the sacred precincts At the crags’ foot thrust Are leaves from the sacred tree To the garlands clinging, as crying Come the bell crickets’ songs.
Tadasue, Senior Assistant Minister of the Sovereign’s Household 14
I would say that both of these, Left and Right, are of the same quality in terms of diction and configuration.
kasugayama chie ni sakayuru sakakiba wa yorozuyo made no kimi ga tame ka
Upon Kasuga Mountain A thousand branches grow, Leafy, on the sacred tree— Until ten thousand ages pass Will they ward my Lord!
Lady Kazusa 69
Right
君がよはいふかぎりなしみよしののこがねがみねにみよをまつまで
kimi ga yo wa iu kagiri nashi miyoshino no kogane ga mine ni miyo o matsu made
My Lord’s reign— Words cannot describe: ‘til fair Yoshino’s Golden peak’s Age one must await!
Lady Shikibu 70
The poem of the Left seems poetic to an extraordinarily outlandish degree! The poem of the Right’s ‘‘til fair Yoshino’s / Golden peak’s / Age one must await!’ has a sufficient conception of felicitation. Thus, these tie.
That the Left is addressed to Mount Kasuga is highly admirable. Is the Right’s ‘golden peak’ a reference to Mount Mitake? It’s very difficult to say anything profound here. Arbitrarily, I would make this a tie—the quality of the poems makes that seem right.
