Silver Grass
Left
ひとしれずおひぬものから花すすきなどかあきしもほにはいづらん
| hito shirezu oinu mono kara hanasusuki nado ka aki shimo ho ni wa izuran | Unknown to all Does grow The silver grass, so Why with the autumn frosts Might the fronds emerge? |
3
Right
まねくかとみてたちよれば花すすきうちふくかぜになびくなりけり
| maneku ka to mite tachiyoreba hanasusuki uchifuku kaze ni nabiku narikeri | Wondering at being beckoned, I gazed, and then drew near to The silver grass, but The gusting wind Was trailing ‘cross it! |
4
A poem by His Majesty, the Retired Emperor [Genshō].
波太須珠寸 尾花逆葺 黒木用 造有室者 迄萬代
はだすすき尾花逆葺き黒木もち造れる室は万代までに
| hadasusuki obana sakapuki kuroki moti tukureru muro pa yoroduyo made ni | Silver Grass, reversed, for thatch, and With unbarked lumber Made, this rude dwelling For ten thousand generations, surely will endure… |
Left
はなすすきそよともすれば秋風の吹くかとぞきくひとり寝る夜は
| hanasusuki soyo tomo sureba akikaze no fuku ka to zo kiku hitori nuru yo wa | When the silver grass fronds Rustle all together, I wonder if ‘tis our autumn wind Blowing that I hear, Tonight, as I sleep alone… |
104[1]
Right
音にきく花見にくれば秋の野のみちさまだけにたちわたりつつ
| oto ni kiku hana mi ni kureba aki no no no michisamadake ni tachiwataritsutsu | I have heard of These blooms I have come to see, so The autumn meadows Blocking my way Will I ever rise to cross… |
105
[1] Gosenshū VII: 353
Left
あきの野の草のたもとか花薄ほに出でてまねく袖とみゆらん
| aki no no no kusa no tamoto ka hanasusuki ho ni idete maneku sode to miyuran | In the autumn meadows Are the grasses cuffs Fronds of silver grass? The emerging ears beckoning Sleeves do appear to be, I feel. |
Ariwara no Muneyana
86
Right
山の井は水なきごとぞみえわたる秋の紅葉のちりてかくせば
| yama no i wa mizu naki goto zo miewataru aki no momiji no chirite kakuseba | The mountain wells Lack water, every one: for Gazing across With autumn scarlet scattered Leaves they are concealed… |
Okikaze
87
Autumn
Left
秋の夜の有明にみれど久堅の月のかつらはうつろはぬかな
| aki no yo no ariake ni miredo hisakata no tsuki no katsura wa utsurouwanu kana | An autumn night’s Dawn I see, yet The eternal Moon’s silver trees Show no sign of fading! |
13
秋萩の花咲く比の白露は下ばのためとわきて置くべし
| aki hagi no hana saku koro no shiratsuyu wa shitaba no tame to wakite okubeshi | In autumn, the bush clover Flowers bloom—just then Silver dewdrops For the under-leaves Do fall, marking every one. |
14
秋風はいなばもそよとふきつめりかりみる程と成りやしぬらん
| akikaze wa inaba mo soyo to fukitsumeri kari miru hodo to nari ya shinuran | The autumn breeze Seems to rustle the rice stalks As it blows; Seeing if ‘tis time to reap them— Is that what it is, I wonder? |
15
Right
銀河とわたる舟は花薄ほにいづるほどぞかげもみゆべき
| ama no kawa towataru fune wa hanasusuki ho ni izuru hodo zo kage mo miyubeki | Across the River of Heaven A boat goes ferrying: When the silver grass Ears burst into bloom, Can its shape be seen. |
16
女郎花さがの花をば色ながら秋をさかりといはれずもがな
| ominaeshi saga no hana oba iro nagara aki o sakari to iwarezu mogana | Maidenflowers: Blossoms from Saga Reveal their hues, and In autumn are most fine—that Goes without saying! |
17
小男鹿の朝たつ霧にうりふ山嶺の梢は色こかりけり
| saoshika no asa tatsu kiri ni urifuyama mine no kozue wa iro kokarikeri | Stags Within the rising morning mist on Urifu Moutain, where The treetops on the peak Have taken darker hues. |
18
From the Poetry Contest held by the Empress Dowager during the reign of the Kanpyō emperor.
花薄そよともすれば秋風の吹くかとぞ聞くひとり寝る夜は
| Fanasusuki soyo tomo sureba akikaze no Fuku ka to zo kiku Fitori nuru yo Fa | When the silver grass fronds Rustle all together, I wonder if ‘tis our autumn wind Blowing that I hear, Tonight, as I sleep alone… |
Ariwara no Muneyana
Left (Tie)
うち頼む人のけしきの秋風に心の底の萱が下折れ
| uchitanomu hito no keshiki no akikaze ni kokoro no soko no kaya ga shitaore |
I did rely on Him, but now in his look, is The autumn wind; in The depths of my heart are Broken, drooping fronds of silver grass… |
Lord Ari’ie
1025
Right
あさましやなどか思のさしも草露も置きあへずはては燃ゆらん
| asamashi ya nado ka omoi no sashimogusa tsuyu mo okiaezu hate wa moyuran |
How strange it is! Why is it that my love’s fires, like Moxa, Not completely covered by the dew Will at the end burst into flame once more? |
Jakuren
1026
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to indicate. The Left state: in the Later Collection of Gleanings there is a poem about Ibuki, which uses ‘burst into flame’ (moyu). We wonder about the suitability of using ‘burst into flame’ without also using Ibuki. The Right, in response: older poems used ‘burst entirely into flame’ (sashimoyu), and this composition is the same.
In judgement: I am not accustomed to hearing ‘the depths of my heart are silver grass’ (kokoro no soko no kaya) as in the Left’s poem. The image in the Right’s poem of moxa not completely covered with dew bursting into flame seems rather overblown. The strengths and weaknesses of the two poems are unclear, so the round should tie.