Composed on drizzle, for a notebook match held at the residence of Fujiwara no Chikako, Junior Second Rank.
しぐれつつかつちるやまのもみぢ葉をいかにふくよのあらしなるらん
| siguretutu katu tiru yama no momidiba wo ika ni fuku yo no arashi naruran | Constant drizzle falls All over the mountain’s scattered Scarlet leaves, so It may as well blow through the world: The storming wind! |
Master of the Palace Repairs Office Akisue
Left (Tie).
足引の山路の秋になる袖はうつろふ人のあらしなりけり
| ashihiki no yamaji no aki ni naru sode wa utsurou hito no arashi narikeri |
Leg wearying Mountain trails in autumn Have my sleeves become, For she fades from my life, as A departing storm… |
Lord Sada’ie.
971
Right.
この世には吉野の山の奧にだにありとはつらき人に知られじ
| kono yo ni wa yoshino no yama no oku ni dani ari to wa tsuraki hito ni shirareji |
Within this world, were I In the Yoshino mountains’ Heart, even so That cruel One would know it not! |
Jakuren.
972
The Right state: the Left’s poem does not refer to a specific mountain – we wonder whether this is acceptable? In addition, ‘in autumn have my sleeves’ (aki ni naru sode) and ‘she…as a storm’ (hito no arashi) is difficult to understand. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to indicate.
In judgement: in connection with the criticism made of the Left’s poem, I do not feel that it is always essential to refer to a specific mountain. The other matters are, indeed, difficult to understand. The underlying sense of the Right’s poem seems overly pretentious. It is reminiscent of the tales of Boyi and Shuqi, or of Jie Zhitui, and Mount Shouyang and Mount Mian. Really, it does put me in mind of the Four White-Headed Recluses of Mount Shang, where it says, ‘They emerged due to the plans of Zhang Liang, made for Huidi, who said, “Though I may lie down with the greybeards, enjoying Mount Shang myself, all, in the end, are people under Zhang Liang.”’ It is extremely difficult, in the end, to make these sentiments relevant to our own land. Thus, I find it inappropriate to accept the content of the Right’s poem. The Left’s poem has its faults, too, so cursorily, I make this round a tie.
いざさらは木の下道はよきてゆかむ嵐に絶へぬしづりひまなし
| iza saraba ko no shitamichi wa yokite yukamu arashi ni taenu shizuri hima nashi | So, then, so be it! The path beneath the trees I’ll avoid, as I go For unable to stand the storm, There’s no space between bent branches! |
Left (Tie).
あぢきなくつらきあらしの聲もうしなど夕暮に待ならひけん
| ajikinaku tsuraki arashi no koe mo ushi nado yûgure ni matsu naraiken |
Dreary, The heartless storm-wind’s Roar is cruel, indeed; Why, at eventide To wait, have I become accustomed? |
129
Right (Tie).
歸るさのものとや人のながむ覧待夜ながらの有明の月
| kaeru sa no mono to ya hito no nagamuran matsu yo nagara no ariake no tsuki |
On his way home Does he Gaze upon it, I wonder? While I wait the whole night through, ‘Til the moon meets daybreak… |
130
From when he presented a hundred poem sequence.
さゝの葉はみ山もさやにうちそよぎこほれる霜を吹嵐かな
| sasa no ha wa miyama mo saya ni uchisoyogi koreru shimo o fuku arashi kana |
The bamboo grass leaves On Miyama clearly Rustle: The frozen frost Blown by the storm, perhaps? |
The Regent and Grand Minister [Fujiwara no Yoshitsune] (1169 – 1206)
藤原良経