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Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring II: 5

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Left (Win)

都人宿を霞のよそに見て昨日もけふ野邊にくらしつ

miyakobito
yado o kasumi no
yoso ni mite
kinō mo kyō
nobe ni kurashitsu		 Capital folk of
Their homes, through the haze,
Catch a distant glimpse
Yesterday, and again today,
Have they spent among the fields.

A Servant Girl.

69

Right.

これぞこの春の野邊よと見ゆるかな大宮人のうちむれてゆく

kore zo kono
haru no nobe yo to
miyuru kana
ōmiyabito no
uchimureteyuku		 This,
For springtime in the fields
Is most apt, indeed:
Folk from the mighty palace
Gathering all together!

Nobusada.

70

For once, the Right describe the Left’s poem as ‘moving’ and have no criticisms to make of it. The Left merely wonder whether ‘folk from the mighty palace’ are entirely suited to the fields.

Shunzei agrees that the construction of ‘Their homes, through the haze,/Catch a distant glimpse’ is particularly good, and that it cannot be said that ‘folk from the mighty palace’ are appropriate for the fields in springtime, but that if they are gathering together, it might be possible. However, in this theme the poet should not be looking on, but be part of the scene, so the Left’s poem must be the winner.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring II: 4

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Left (Tie)

知る知らずことありがほのまとゐかな茅花抜く野にけふもくらしつ

shiru shirazu
koto ari gao no
matoi kana
tsubana nuku no ni
kyô mo kurashitsu		 Folk I know and strangers, both,
Purposefully have come
For music-making;
Gathering reed-ears from the meadow,
Today I’ll pass my day…

Lord Kanemune.

67

Right (Tie)

いつしかと子日に出でし春の野を菫摘むまで踏みならしつる

itsu shika to
ne no hi ni ideshi
haru no no o
sumire tsumu made
fuminarashitsuru		 How quickly came
The Rat’s Day: I went out to
The springtime fields and,
Until violet-gathering season comes
Will I tread them down.

Lord Takanobu.

68

The Right say that it seems that people must have come for something more important than ‘field pleasures’ if they come ‘purposefully’, to which the Left respond that, of course, people take their field pleasures seriously, and suggest that the Right refer to the winning poem in the previous round. They then ask if reed ears don’t appear later in the season than violets, and so query whether the Right’s poem is appropriate at this stage in the contest.

Shunzei says merely that, ‘the comments by both teams are entirely appropriate’ and makes the round a tie.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring II: 2

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Left (Win).

うちむれて菫摘むまに飛火野の霞のうちにけふもくらしつ

uchimurete
sumire tsumu ma ni
tobuhino no
kasumi no uchi ni
kyō mo kurashitsu		 Gathered all together,
In picking violets,
On Tobuhi Plain
Amongst the haze
Have we spent this day…

Suetsune

63

Right.

暮ぬるかいざ歸りなん春の野のまとゐはけふに限るべきかは

kurenuru ka
iza kaerinan
haru no no no
matoi wa kyō ni
kagirubeki ka wa		 Is dusk a’falling?
Well then, let’s be homeward bound.
Among the fields in Springtime,
Music, this day
Alone, will not sound.

 

The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office

64

The Right team state that the Left’s poem certainly expresses the conception [kokoro wa tashika nari] of ‘Field Pleasures’ but perhaps introduces the topic of ‘violets’ too early for this poetry competition’s sequence. The Left respond, ‘If the poem matches the conception for Field Pleasures [yayū no kokoto dani araba], the matter of timing is no great fault [fukaki toga naku]! The Right’s poem is more on the theme of ‘longing to be heading home’, than ‘Field Pleasures’, and the sentiment of the latter topic is weak [kokorozashi asashiki]’.

Shunzei judges that the Left’s poem seems well-constructed [utazama wa yoroshiki], but that the diction [kotoba] of using ma ni (‘while’) in the expression sumire tsumu ma ni (‘In picking violets’), is ‘undesirable’. The Right’s use of diction is charming [kotobazukai okashikaran], but the poem really is about longing to be off home. The Left’s final stanza is excellent [yoroshiki], and so their poem has to be the winner.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring I: 30

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Left (Tie).

もゝしきや射手引く庭の梓弓昔にかへる春に逢ふかな

momoshiki ya
ite hiku niwa no
azusa yumi
mukashi ni kaeru
haru ni au kana		 Hundred fold, the palace, where
Archer draw, within the gardens
Bows of catalpa wood:
Olden times are recalled
And meet again, this springtime.

Lord Sada’ie

59

Right (Tie).

梓弓春の雲井に引つれてけしきことなるけふの諸人

azusa yumi
haru no kumoi ni
hikitsurete
keshiki kotonaru
kyô no morobito		 Catalpa bows:
In springtime to the cloud-borne palace
They are brought;
How exceptional the scene:
A crowd of noble folk, this day.

Ietaka

60

The Right query why in the Left’s poem an annual festival should ‘recall olden times’, to which the Right respond that it is normal to compose poems about annual observances as if they had been discontinued and then revived. The Left make no comment about the Right’s poem.

Shunzei’s judgement is that, indeed, the Left’s poem had been composed as if an ancient rite had been revived and, furthermore with the reference to an ‘exceptional scene’ the intent had probably been to praise court festivals. Nevertheless, he has to adjudge the round a tie.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring I: 28

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Left (Win).

もゝしきに引つらなれる梓弓はるも鞆音の珍しき哉

momoshiki ni
hikitsuranareru
azusa yumi
haru mo tomone no
mezurashiki kana		 By the hundredfold palace
Arrayed,
Catalpa bows:
Sprung in springtime, bowstring on bracer:
How rare the sound!

Lord Suetsune

55

Right.

舎人子が鞆うち鳴らす梓弓射手引わたる春は來にけり

toneriko ga
tomo uchinarasu
azusa yumi
ite hikiwataru
haru wa kinikeri		 The guardsmen lads’
Bracers sound;
Catalpa bows,
Drawn by archers:
Springtime is here, indeed!

Lord Takanobu

56

Again, the Right team have no comments to make about the Left’s poem this round, but the Left say the initial line of the Right’s poem is ‘unsatisfactory’. Shunzei, once again, agrees, remarking that, ‘the initial line sounds like the name of the tree used when referring to adding water to an ink-stone. Again, the Left is the winner.’ What he means by this is that toneriko, ‘guardsmen lads’ was homophonous with the word for ‘ash tree’. The old Japanese extracted a wax from ash trees, which was used to ease the running of sliding doors and shutters, and so by association, toneriko was used in poetry to refer to adding water to an ink-stone so that the ink, produced in solid sticks, would slide over it more easily. This image is inappropriate for a poem about the New Year Archery festival, and so the poem is of inferior quality, compared to the Left’s offering.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring I: 27

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Left (Win).

梓弓はるの雲居にひゞくまで鞆音にかよふ的の音かな

azusa yumi
haru no kumoi ni
hibiku made
tomone ni kayou
mato no oto kana		 Catalpa bows
In springtime round the cloud-borne palace
Resound;
Bowstring on bracer and
Arrow on target – what a sound!

Lord Kanemune

53

Right.

梓弓まうけの箭にやひかるらんはてまでけふは當りぬる哉

azusa yumi
môke no ya ni ya
hikaruran
hate made kyô wa
atarinuru kana		 Catalpa bows’
Spare arrows: will they
Be drawn, I wonder?
By this day’s end
All will have struck the target…

Lord Tsune’ie

54

The Right team have no comments to make about the Left’s poem, but the Left state that the initial section of the Right’s poem is ‘prosaic [heikai]’. Shunzei agrees, saying that the term ‘spare arrows’ is ‘unsuitable diction for poetry’ [uta kotoba ni yoroshikarazaru] and so the Left’s poem must be adjudged the winner.

Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds

Spring I: 11

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Left (Tie).

天の原春とも見えぬながめかなこぞのなごりの雪の明ぼの

ama no hara
haru tomo mienu
nagame kana
kozo no nagori no
yuki no akebono		 Upon the plain of Heaven
Of Spring there is no sign
In sight:
A memento of the year that’s gone,
Snowfall with the dawning.

Lord Ari’ie

21

Right (Tie).

なごりには春の袂も冴えにけり霞より散る雪のけしきに

nagori ni wa
haru no tamoto mo
saenikeri
kasumi yori chiru
yuki no keshiki ni		 The memento
Also upon my springtime sleeves
Stands clear:
Drifting from the haze,
A scene of snow.

Nobusada

22

In this round the Right team have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem, but the Left query beginning a poem with ‘memento’, as the audience then immediately wonder, ‘A memento of what?’

Shunzei comments that the Left’s poem starts extremely well, but that, even though ‘in sight’ (nagame kana) has been frequently used in poetry recently, its spirit has yet to be fully determined, and so including it here must be considered a mistake. Furthermore, the concluding line, ‘snowfall with the dawning’ (yuki no akebono), has also been much used in recent poetry. As for the Right’s poem, he feels it ends extremely well, but echoes the criticism of the Left about the beginning. Thus, the best result for this round is a tie.