Round Five
Left (Win)
なつの夜のふすかとすればほととぎす鳴く一声に明くるしののめ
| natsu no yo no fusu ka to sureba hototogisu naku hitogoe ni akuru shinonome | On summer nights, I’m wondering whether to go to bed, when A cuckoo’s Single call Brightens the dawn. |
Ki no Tsurayuki
9
Right
郭公をちかへりなけうなゐこがうちたれがみの五月雨の空
| hototogisu ochikaerinake unaiko ga uchitaregami no samidare no sora | A cuckoo Calls again and again; A child’s shoulder-brushing Hair dangling down: A summer shower fills the skies. |
Ōshikōchi no Mitsune 10[1]
[1] Shūishū II: 116: For a poetry contest at Sadafun’s house.
Left.
人目こそ離れも果てなめ山里に日影も見えず霙降るころ
| hitome koso kare mo hatename yamazato ni hikage mo miezu mizore furu koro |
The bustle of folk Seems so far away, In a mountain home Where no sunlight but Sleet does fall… |
521
Right (Win).
かき曇りみぞるゝ空や冴えそめて氷も果てぬ時雨なるらん
| kakikumori mizoruru sora ya saesomete kōri mo hatenu shigure naruran |
Gathering clouds, Sleeting, fill the sky; The first chill of Endless ice In the coming shower… |
522
The Right state that they are unable to understand the point of ‘Sleet does fall’ (mizore furu koro). The Left state that ‘sleeting’ (mizoruru) is grating on the ear [kikinikushi]. In addition, the initial 5-7-5 structure is inconsistent [kiregire nari].
Shunzei’s judgement: In the Left’s poem what is the problem with understanding ‘sleet does fall’? However, what I would want it to say next is that the sunlight always falls. In the Right’s poem, one could have said ‘sleeted sky’ (mizoreshi sora), but ‘sleeting sky’ is also unproblematic [nan ni oyobubekarazu]. ‘Endless ice in the coming shower’ (kōri mo hatenu shigure naruran) is an unusual conception [kokoro mezurashiku], and ‘the first chill’ (saesomete) is also well positioned. The Right is slightly better and should win.
Composed on ‘long hidden love’ at the Poetry Office Poetry Competition.
いその神ふるの神すぎふりぬれどいろにはいでずつゆも時雨も
| isonokami furu no kami sugi furinuredo iro ni wa idezu tsuyu mo shigure mo |
In Isonokami At Furu, the ancient, sacred cedar trees Are old, yet Their colours never change With dew or shower fall… |
The Regent and Grand Minister [Fujiwara no Yoshitsune]
藤原良経