Left.
限りなき下の思ひの行衛とて燃えん煙のはてや見るべき
kagirinaki
shita no omoi no
yukue tote
moen kemuri no
hate ya mirubeki |
Without limit is
My secret love:
Does it lead to
Burning smoke
For her in the end to see? |
Lord Sada’ie.
955
Right (Win).
藻塩燒く浦の煙を風に見てなびかぬ人の心をぞ思ふ
moshio yaku
ura no kemuri o
kaze ni mite
nabikanu hito no
kokoro o zo omou |
Seaweed salt burning
On the shore, smoke
Sighted in the wind;
No trails from her
Heart to me, alas… |
Nobusada.
956
The Right state: the Left’s poem lacks smoke. The Left state: saying ‘sighted in the wind’ (kaze ni mite) sounds poor.
In judgement: the poem of the Right, which the Gentlemen of the Left have said ‘sounds poor’, has as its central section ‘sighted in the wind’, which I feel sounds extremely pleasant. The final section also sounds good. Thus, the Right wins.
Left (Win).
もしほ汲袖の月かげをのづからよそにあかさぬ須磨の浦人
moshio kumu
sode no tsukikage
onozukara
yoso ni akasanu
suma no urabito |
Scooping seaweed salt,
With moon-drenched sleeves:
Naturally,
This brings no light to
The folk of Suma Bay. |
167
Right.
蟲明の松としらせよ袖の上にしぼりしまゝの波の月かげ
mushiake no
matsu to shiraseyo
sode no ue ni
shiborishi mama no
nami no tsukikage |
‘At Mushiake
I pine!’ – tell him that;
From my sleeves
Have I ever wrung
Waves of moonlight. |
168
Left (Tie).
忘れじのちぎりうらむる故郷の心もしらぬ松蟲の聲
wasureji no
chigiri uramuru
furusato no
kokoro mo shiranu
matsumushi no koe |
Never to forget,
He vowed – how hateful!
Around my aged home,
All unknowing of my heart,
The pine crickets sing their song… |
123
Right (Tie).
こぬ人をまつほの浦の夕なぎに燒くやもしほの身もこがれつゝ
konu hito o
matsuo no ura no
yūnagi ni
yaku ya moshio no
mi mo kogaretsutsu |
For one who fails to come,
I pine; within the bay of Matsuo
In the evening calm,
Burns seaweed salt,
As does my breast with longing. |
124
'Simply moving and elegant'