Spring Sun
わたつうみのうらうらてらす春の日にあまもみるめをかりやほすらむ
wata tsu umi no uraura terasu haru no hi ni ama mo mirume o kari ya hosuramu | Across the broad sea sweep Softly shines The spring sun upon the Fisherfolk, seaweed Reaping, but would it dry? |
Daishin
Spring Sun
わたつうみのうらうらてらす春の日にあまもみるめをかりやほすらむ
wata tsu umi no uraura terasu haru no hi ni ama mo mirume o kari ya hosuramu | Across the broad sea sweep Softly shines The spring sun upon the Fisherfolk, seaweed Reaping, but would it dry? |
Daishin
Left (Win)
さざ浪や志賀津の海士になりにけりみるめはなくて袖のしほるる
sazanami ya shigatsu no ama ni narinikeri mirume wa nakute sode no shioruru | Rocked by wavelets A fisherman at Shiga Bay Have I become! Glimpsing no seaweed, How my sleeves are soaked… |
Lord Suetsune
1171
Right
伊勢の海の底までかづく海人なれやみるめに人を思ふ心は
ise no umi no soko made kazuku ama nare ya mirume ni hito o omou kokoro wa | At Ise, to the sea Bed dive Fisher-girls: Am I one, too? A seaweed-tangled glimpse of you Lodging in my heart… |
Jakuren
1172
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to mention. The Left state: neither beginning nor end is sufficiently forcefully expressed.
In judgement: the conception and configuration of the Left’s ‘fisherman at Shiga Bay’ (shigatsu no ama) certainly seem splendid. That is really all there is to say about this poem. To make a deliberate point of seeking out elements which sound difficult is a pointless activity for the Way of Poetry and an individual poet. As for the Right’s poem, diving ‘to the sea bed’ (soko made) is just something that fisher-girls do. The Left must win.
Left
藻塩やく海人のまくかたならねども恋のそめきもいとなかりけり
moshio yaku ama no makuka tanaranedomo koi no someki mo ito nakarikeri | Burning seaweed for salt, Scattering on the shore are the fisher-girls; Not just so, but From the tumult of love Is there little respite. |
Kenshō
1169
Right (Win)
思ひにはたぐひなるべき伊勢の海人も人を恨みぬ袖ぞ濡れける
omoi ni wa taguinarubeki ise no ama mo hito o uraminu sode zo nurekeru | In thoughts of love Are we the same: The diver girls at Ise, Gazing at bay, with no sight of you My sleeves are soaked. |
Ietaka
1170
The Right state: there is a theory that ‘scattering on the shore’ (ama no makukata) is actually ‘waiting’ (matekata). How should this phrase be correctly be understood here? In response, the Left: the poem was composed from the standpoint that ‘scattering on the shore’ is correct. The Later Selection texts vary between ku and te, but ‘without surcease’ (itoma nami) is an appropriate expression for burning seaweed for salt. In both the Collection of a Myriad Leaves and the Tales of Ise there is the expression ‘ceaseless salt burning (shio yaku itoma nashi). In addition, there is the Ise Priestess Consort’s poem ‘Scattering on the shore, the fisher-girls rake seaweed’, where te would not be suitable. Izumi Shikibu’s poem:
伊勢の海の海人のあまたのまてかたにおりやとるらん浪の花なみ
ise no umi no ama no amata no matekata ni ori ya toruran nami no hananami | By the sea at Ise Crowds of fisher-girls A’waiting To be plucked – A row of blossoms on the waves. |
is written with te, but ‘crowds of fisher-girls’ seems to suit the conception of burning seaweed. The Right still find fault: in the Muroyama Lay Priest’s Collection in a Tortoiseshell Mirror, Hideaki’s poem is written with mate. In addition, it evokes a scene of evaporation pools, and is there such an activity as scattering salt on the shore? In response: the salt kilns are on the shore. It is they which are scattered. People from the area have told me as much. In addition, mate could mean looking for razor clams (mategai) in the sand. And the girls would not be completely occupied doing this. In response, the Right: that is not the only possible meaning of mate. When the fisher-girls are busy with their work, and have no respite from it, one uses itoma nami. The Left have no criticisms to make of the Right’s poem.
In judgement: the Left’s poem, with the initial ama no makukata, followed by the final section ‘from the tumult of love is there little respite’ (koi no someki mo ito nakarikeri) fails to sound elegant. There should be no confusion over this issue. Lord Hide’aki’s poem in the Later Selection is plainly ‘a diver-girl does wait without surcease’ (ama no matekata itoma nami). On this matter, long ago when I was in attendance upon His Majesty, Emperor Sutoku, he presented me with the commentaries on problematic poems by a certain personage written as he remembered them, and His Majesty asked, ‘People say there are many errors in this text – is this true?’ to which I replied, ‘When it came to making things, there are errors in even those made by the wisest men of old. What you could call imperfect scholarship.’ In the midst of talking about this and that, I mentioned problems in the Later Selection, and that this matekata poem was written maku; I didn’t provide any commentary, just simply said, ‘This is matekata. The fact that there are texts which erroneously write maku have produced some doubt over this,’ and when people later heard that I had said this, his followers got confused and thought I meant maku was correct. ‘Without surcease’ (itoma nami) is particularly suitable for matekata. ‘Waiting’ (matekata) and ‘burning seaweed for salt’ (moshio yaku) are both things which fisher-girls do endlessly – there is no difference between them. Both the Collection of a Myriad Leaves and the Tales of Ise say ‘fisher-girls without surcease’ (ama no itoma nashi). Nowhere does it say ‘scattering’ (makukata). In addition, the shore where they burn seaweed for salt on the beach (hama ni shio yaku kata) bears no resemblance to scattering salt (shio o maku). Moreover, as for the Ise Virgin Consort’s poem, there are many texts which have mate, and any versions of both this anthology and of the Later Selection, too, which have maku are erroneous. There is also a poem in reply to the Consort’s poem ‘Scattered on the shore, / Raking, the fisher-girls gather / Sea-salt weed: / Where does the smoke / Rise to, I ask, my love?’ There are many who argue that this should be maku, but it simply means that the fisher-girls are busy. Matekata and itomanaki koto mean the same thing. In conclusion, we must have regard to the Later Selection poem. Hide’aki has left only a few poems, but was surrounded by poets of peerless talent. Whichever way one looks at it, he was not one to produce an erroneous poem. The Right’s poem has nothing special about it, but as the Left uses ‘from the tumult of love is there little respite’ which sounds old-fashioned and unpleasant, and there is no evidence that makukata is correct, the Right wins.
Left (Win)
我恋はあまのさかてを打ち返し思ときてや世をも恨みん
wa ga koi wa ama no sakate o uchikaeshi omoi tokite ya yo o mo uramin | My love: With my diver girl’s hands raised to heaven I cast back Knowing of these pains of love The world is all despair! |
Lord Kanemune
1167
Right
衣手はしほたるれどもみるめをばかづかぬ海人となりにけるかな
koromode wa shiotaruredomo mirume o ba kazukanu ama to narinikeru kana | Though my sleeves Are drenched, as Unable to catch a glimpse of seaweed Like a hapless diver-girl Have I become. |
Lord Tsune’ie
1168
The Right state: there are various possible interpretations for ama no sakate. In addition, is it appropriate to compose a poem from the diver-girl’s perspective? The Left state: there is nothing to mention in the Right’s poem.
In judgement: the Left’s ama no sakate is not a particularly good expression, but I see no fault in composing from the diver-girl’s perspective. In recent times, people have come up with alternate interpretations for the phrase, but I see no reason for them. This old fool long ago composed a poem in this way. So I wonder, should I criticise my own composition? There is evidence for this in the Tales of Ise, and other texts, too. However, in poetry competitions, ama no sakate fails to sound appropriate. The Right’s diver-girl with sleeves drenched by the tide and unable to harvest seaweed seems incapable. She cannot be a genuine diver-girl. The Left’s sakate is not that elegant, but the girl is genuine. It wins.
Left (Win)
潮風の吹こす海人の苫ひさし下に思ひのくゆる頃かな
shiokaze no fukikosu ama no toma hisashi shita ni omoi no kuyuru koro kana | The tidewinds Blow across the fisher girl’s Rush-woven roof; Below, in fires of passion Does she smoulder… |
A Servant Girl
1165
Right
みさごゐる磯良が崎にあさりする海士もみるめを猶求めけり
misago iru isora ga saki ni asarisuru ama mo mirume o nao motomekeri | Ospreys hunt Along the strand at Isora; Digging for clams, The fisherman, a seaweed-strewn chance at love Is seeking still… |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
1166
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left’s ‘blow across the fisher girl’s rush-woven roof’ (fukikosu ama no toma hisashi) is certainly elegant. The Right’s ‘ospreys hunt along the strand at Isora’ (misago iru isora ga saki) seems a kind of overblown style, yet the Left seems particularly pleasant in form. I make it the winner.
Left (Win)
さらぬだに身にしむ夜はの笛の音を憂き人ゆへに聞き明かしつる
saranu dani mi ni shimu yowa no fue no ne o ukibito yue ni kiki akashitsuru |
Even were I not so in love, On a night that chills the soul The strains of a flute For that cruel one Drift to me ‘til the dawn… |
Lord Kanemune
1085
Right
我ゆへに思はぬ夜はの笛の音も藻に棲む虫と袖は濡れけり
ware yue ni omowanu yowa no fue no ne mo mo ni sumu mushi to sode wa nurekeri |
For my sake I did not think this night The flute’s strains – A shrimp among the seaweed – Soak the sleeves. |
Jakuren
1086
The Right state: the Left’s poem is overly lacking in thought. The Left state: no faults.
In judgement: the Left has ‘for that cruel one’ (ukibito yue ni) – does this mean perhaps that one is unable to sleep as a result of someone’s cruelty? The reference to ‘a shrimp among the seaweed’ (mo ni sumu mushi) in the Right’s latter section feels overly abrupt and sounds lacking in connection to anything else in the poem. ‘That cruel one’ sounds somewhat insufficient, but it certainly has no faults. Thus, the Left wins.
Left (Win)
今はさはあはれと思へ菅の根の長き心の程は見つらん
ima wa sa wa aware to omoe suga no ne no nagaki kokoro no hodo wa mitsuran |
Now, indeed, let you Think fondly of me! The grasses’ roots run Long, my heart’s Love will you see… |
Lord Suetsune
1023
Right
世とゝもにかはくまもなき我袖や潮干もわかぬ浪の下草
yo to tomo ni kawaku ma mo naki wa ga sode ya shioi mo wakanu nami no shitagusa |
With the passing time, Not a moment dry Are my sleeves; Low tide does not reveal The seaweed beneath the waves… |
Lord Takanobu
1024
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to indicate. The Left state: the Right’s poem is clichéd.
In judgement: the Right, in addition to being clichéd, can say no more than that love means wet sleeves. The Left’s ‘grasses’ roots’ (suga no ne) is certainly better.
Composed on the conception of Love, when he held a poetry contest at his residence while he was a Middle Captain.
我が恋は海女の刈る藻に乱れつつかわく時なき浪の下草
wa ga koFi Fa ama no karu mo ni midaretutu kaFaku toki naki nami no sitagusa |
My love is As seaweed reaped by fisher-girls, Ever tangled, and Not a moment dry Have the weeds beneath the waves… |
Supernumerary Middle Councillor [Fujiwara no] Toshitada
権中納言俊忠
藻刈り舟沖漕ぎ来らし妹が島形見の浦に鶴翔る見ゆ
mo kari pune oki kogi kurasi imogasima katami no ura ni tadu kakeru miyu |
Seeking seaweed, the boats Have rowed into the offing, it seems; Between Imogashima and Katami shore I can see the cranes a’flying. |
Topic unknown.
伊勢の海女の朝な夕なにかづくてふ見るめに人を飽くよしもがな
ise no ama no asa na yuFu na ni kazuku teFu mirume ni Fito wo aku yosi mogana |
The diver-girls at Ise Both morn and night do Dive beneath, they say; A seaweed-tangled glimpse of you: If only that would sate me! |
Anonymous