From the Poetry Contest held by the Empress Dowager during the reign of the Kanpyō emperor.
浦近く立つ秋霧は藻塩焼く煙とのみぞ見えわたりける
ura tikaku tatu akigiri Fa mosiFo yaku kemuri to nomi zo miewatarikeru Close by the bay Rising autumn mist, as Seaweed salt burning Smoke simply Appears everywhere.
Anonymous
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'