When I had gone to a place called the Kawara Mansion with friends to view the plum blossom, and there was no plum blossom there, only the distant sight of cherry.
春霞たちななよりそうすくこき錦とみゆる山のさくらに
| harugasumi tachi na na yori so usu koki nishiki to miyuru yama no sakura ni | O, haze of spring, Arise not and cover not, Either thick or thin, The seeming brocade of Cherry o’er the mountains… |
From a poetry match held by the Reikeiden Junior Consort and Chūjō Lady of the Bedchamber during the reign of the Tenryaku Emperor.
春霞立ちなへだてそ花ざかりみてだにあかぬ山のさくらを
| Farugasumi tati na Fedate so Fanazakari mite dani akanu yama no sakura wo | O, haze of spring, Arising, do not block The flowers’ profusion, for Even of the sight I cannot get my fill Of mountain cherry blossoms… |
Kiyowara no Motosuke
The only surviving poem from this match[i] is by Kiyowara no Motosuke and is included in Shūishū (I: 42) with the headnote ‘From a poetry match held by the Reikeiden Junior Consort and Chūjō Lady of the Bedchamber during the reign of the Tenryaku Emperor’.
春霞立ちなへだてそ花ざかりみてだにあかぬ山のさくらを
| harugasumi tachi na hedate so hanazakari mite dani akanu yama no sakura o | O, haze of spring, Arising, do not block The flowers’ profusion, for Even of the sight I cannot get my fill Of mountain cherry blossoms… |
Given the lack of other evidence of this match, Hagitani (1958, 417) outlines various possibilities for its provenance, including that it might have originally been composed for the Tentoku 4 Palace Poetry Match (see above), but eventually concludes that due to the existence of other matches between ladies in the imperial harem from around this period, and that the women in question, the Reikeiden Junior Consort, Princess Sōshi 荘子女王 (930-1008) and the Chūjō Lady of the Bedchamber, Fujiwara no Shūshi 藤原修子 (dates unknown) were cousins and thus might have been closer than some of the other women in the rear palace, it is not inconceivable that they might have held a joint poetry match, and thus categorises this as coming from a separate event, the records of which have otherwise been lost. It is not possible to date this event with any accuracy, other than that it took place during Murakami’s reign (946-967), but the likelihood is that it was toward the end of the period.
Hagitani also notes the ‘identical construction’ of this poem and one included in Mototsuke’s personal collection:
When I had gone to a place called the Kawara Mansion with friends to view the plum blossom, and there was no plum blossom there, only the distant sight of cherry.
春霞たちななよりそうすくこき錦とみゆる山のさくらに
| harugasumi tachi na na yori so usu koki nishiki to miyuru yama no sakura ni | O, haze of spring, Arise not and cover not, Either thick or thin, The seeming brocade of Cherry o’er the mountains… |
This leads Komachiya (1990, 15) to categorise the poem from this match as ‘a blossom-viewing poem from the Kawara Mansion’ suggesting he considers it a reworking of Motosuke’s other work.
[i] Reikeiden no nyōgo chūjō miyasudokoro uta’awase 麗景殿女御・中将御息所歌合
Round One
Haze[i]
Left
くらはしのやまのかひより春がすみとしをつみてやたちわたるらん
| kurahashi no yama no kai yori harugasumi toshi o tsumite ya tachiwataruran | From Kurahashi Mountain’s passes Does the haze of spring Store up the new year as It rises all around, I wonder? |
Asatada
1[ii]
Right
ふるさとは春めきにけりみよし野のみかきのはらをかすみこめたり
| furusato wa harumekinikeri miyoshino no mikaki no hara o kasumi kometari | Around the capital of old Spring is all about. In fair Yoshino Mikaki plain is All covered o’er with haze. |
Kanemori
2[iii]
When both Left and Right had recited their poems, His Majesty spoke to this minor official, saying, ‘You should determine their merits and failings.’ I demurred, saying, ‘My understanding of the thirty-one syllables of waka is not such as to enable me to do this. I humbly request that Your Majesty decides.’ His Majesty, responded, ‘Should you not do this, it will spoil today’s events, and store up resentment. Make your determinations swiftly.’ In the face of His Majesty’s displeasure, I presented my own clumsy opinions.
In the Left’s poem, it is pleasant to describe Mount Kurahashi [Storehouse-bridge] as storing up the new year. In addition, it is certainly the case that crossing a bridge is what one does. The poem’s overall manner is also appropriate. As for the Right’s poem, the reference to being covered with haze seems a bit late, leaving one to wonder why the capital is springlike.
This round, my decision reflected His Majesty’s views. Observing the expressions of the imperial mien, I swiftly declared the Left the winner.
[i] Kasumi 霞
[ii] This poem was included in the third edition of Kin’yōshū (I: 3), although not in either of the earlier two versions. It is also in Shinsen rōeishū (I: 69).
Round Seven
Left (Tie)
けさはまたそれともみえず淡路島霞のしたに浦風ぞ吹く
| kesa wa mata sore tomo miezu awajishima kasumi no shita ni urakaze zo fuku | This morning, once again, I cannot that clearly see Awaji Isle, but Beneath the haze The winds are blowing o’er the beach! |
Chikanari, Ranked without Office
13
Right
春霞なびく朝けの塩風にあらぬけぶりや浦に立つらん
| harugasumi nabiku asake no shiokaze ni aranu keburi ya ura ni tatsuran | Spring haze Trails over with the morn— Salt-fire breezes It is not, yet does smoke Seem to rise across the bay? |
Ie’kiyo, Ranked without Office
14
Both Left and Right don’t seem bad. I make them a tie.
Left
さはみづにかはづなくなりやまぶきのうつろふいろやそこにみゆらむ
| sawamizu ni kawazu nakunari yamabuki no utsurou iro ya soko ni miyuramu | Among the marsh waters The frogs are crying; The kerria’s Fading hues—might They see them below the surface there? |
27
Right (Win)
ちりてゆくかたをだにみむはるがすみはなのあたりはたちもさらなむ
| chiriteyuku kata o dani mimu harugasumi hana no atari wa tachi mo sara namu | Scattering off If only I might see them, but The spring haze Around the blossoms is Already rising! |
28
