Round Three

Left (Both Judges – Win)

いはぬまの下はふ蘆のねを重みひまなき恋を君知るらめや

iwanuma no shitahau ashi no ne o shigemi himanaki koi o kimi shirurame ya

Silently beneath the marsh rocks Creep the reeds’ Roots in such profusion, Not a space free from love, but Does my lady know, I wonder?

A Court Lady
53

Right

身をつみて思ひや知るとこころみにながためつらき人もあらなん

mi o tsumite omoi ya shiru to kokoromi ni na ga tame tsuraki hito mo aranan

Pinching flesh, Would you know passion’s fire? To test it, I wish For you there was a cruel One, too…

Lord Masakane
54

Toshiyori states: the first poem is extremely charming. It seems to have no faults to mention. In the second poem, ‘For you there was a cruel one’ would be something quite impolite if said by a woman. Court ladies may lose their composure, yet they still appear to speak with dignity. In the absence of a prior poem as precedent, the first poem should win, I think.

Mototoshi states: this poem seems to have no faults to mention, and of the two, ‘beneath creep the reeds’ seems a bit more gently refined at present.