Composed in the Tenth Month of Jōhō 3 [1076] when the reigning emperor had made a progress to the River Ōi to go hunting.
大井川ふるきながれを尋ねきて嵐のやまの紅葉をぞ見る
| oFowigaFa Furuki nagare wo tadunekite arasi no yama no momidi wo zo miru |
The River Ōi: This ancient flow Have I come to visit, and Around the mount of storms, Scarlet leaves I see! |
Emperor Shirakawa
白河院
木の間よりなびく夕日のほどもなし嵐に吹雪く小夜の中山
| ko no ma yori nabiku yūhi no hodo mo nashi arashi ni fubuku sayo no nakayama |
From between the trees The evening sun tries to stream But finds no space; Wind-blown by the storms is Sayo-no-Nakayama. |
Ietaka
惜しめども花もとまらぬ不破の関山吹越ゆる春の嵐に
| oshimedomo hana mo tomaranu fuwa no seki yamabuki koyuru haru no arashi ni |
I do regret it, but The blossoms will not halt At the barrier of Fuwa; Passing over the golden kerria In the storms of spring… |
Asukai no Masatsune (1170-1221)
飛鳥井雅経
Left (Win).
名に立てる音羽の瀧も音にのみ聞くより袖の濡るゝ物かは
| na ni tateru otowa no taki mo oto ni nomi kiku yori sode no nururu mono ka wa |
The name is known: Otowa Falls Sounds forth; and just Hearing that Is enough to soak my sleeves? Surely not! |
631
Right.
鹿の音も嵐にたぐふ鐘の音も聞くよりこそは袖は濡れしか
| shika no ne mo arashi no taguu kane no oto mo kiku yori koso wa sode wa nureshika |
The braying of the stags, and With the storm wind The tolling bells: Hearing alone Does soak my sleeves. |
632
The Gentlemen of the Right state: there is nothing worth mentioning in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: using ne (‘braying’) and oto (‘sound’) in the same poem is a fault [yamai].
Shunzei’s judgement: Both poems are tasteful in form [utazama wa yū] , but the Right’s does contain a fault, as the Left have stated. Thus, the Left should win.
Left (Win).
宿ごとに絶えぬ朝餉の煙さへ冬の氣色はさびしかりけり
| yadogoto ni taenu asake no kemuri sae fuyu no keshiki wa sabishikarikeri |
From every house Unending is the breakfasts’ Smoke – and even that Makes a winter scene All the more lonely. |
543
Right.
朝まだき嵐は庭を渡れども雪には跡もつかぬ也けり
| asa madaki arashi wa niwa o wataredomo yuki ni wa ato mo tsukanu narikeri |
Early in the morning The storm wind, o’er my garden Gusts, yet Upon the fallen snow no trace It leaves. |
544
The Right say the Left’s poem ‘isn’t bad’ [ashikarazu]. The Left say the Right’s poem is ‘commonplace’ [tsune no koto nari].
Shunzei’s judgement: Although the Left’s ‘unending is the breakfasts’ smoke – and even that’ (taenu asake no kemuri sae) is lacking in poetic qualities [utashina no naku wa haberedo], the gentlemen of the Right have judged it not to be bad. As for the Right, if a storm blows through a garden, even if there is no snow, surely there would be some trace of it, wouldn’t there? The Left should win.
Left (Win).
風寒み今日も霙の降る里は吉野の山の雪げなりけり
| kaze samumi kyō mo mizore no furu sato wa yoshino no yama no yukige narikeri |
A chill breeze brings Sleet, today, Falling as on the ancient estate on Yoshino mountain Did snows fall once… |
517
Right.
嵐吹く木葉こきまぜ霙降りさびしかりける山の奧かな
| arashi fuku konoha kokimaze mizore furi sabishikarikeru yama no oku kana |
The storm wind blows Leaves mixed in with Falling sleet; How lonely it is Here within the mountains… |
518
Neither team finds any fault with the other’s poem this round.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s ‘Sleet, today, falling as on the ancient estate’ (kyō mo mizore no furu sato wa), preceding ‘on Yoshino mountain did snows fall once’, reflects the conception of ‘Where once I lived, to the mount of Yoshino was so close’ (Furusato Fa yosino no yama si tikakereba) and seems splendid [ito yoroshiku miehabere]. The Right’s ‘How lonely it is here within the mountains’ (sabishikarikeru yama no oku kana) as a final section is most acceptable in terms of style [mottomo shokisubeki no tei], but the initial ‘leaves mixed in’ (konoha kokimaze) sounds as if this had been done with some human hand. Thus, the Left with matched initial and final sections, must win.
Left (Tie).
散果てん木葉の音を殘しても色こそなけれ嶺の松風
| chirihaten ko no ha no oto o nokoshitemo iro koso nakere mine no matsukaze |
Completely scattered Are the leaves, but the sound Remains Lacking only the hue As the wind blows through the pines on the peak. |
491
Right.
時雨ゆく松の緑は空晴て嵐にくもる峰の紅葉葉
| shigure yuku matsu no midori wa sora harete arashi ni kumoru mine no momijiba |
Is drizzle falling On the pines so green? The skies are clear, Clouded only by a storm Of scarlet leaves from the peaks… |
492
The Right have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem. The Left state that they find the Right’s poem, ‘difficult to grasp’. In reply, the Right say, ‘It is conceived after a Chinese poem that “the wind in the pines is the sound of rain”.’
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem is excellent in both configuration and diction [sugata kotoba yoroshiku haberumere]. The Right’s ‘clouded only by a storm’ (arashi ni kumoru) sounds charming in conception [kokoro okashiku kikoyu] – even without drawing upon the Chinese model. In this round, too, there is no clear winner or loser and it must tie.
Left.
山里は梢さびしく散果てゝ嵐の音も庭の枯葉に
| yamazato wa kozue sabishiku chirihatete arashi no oto mo niwa no kareba ni |
In a mountain home The treetops, desolately, Are completely bare; The storm-wind’s sound Is in my garden’s withered leaves… |
487
Right (Win).
木葉散る外山の暮を分行ば袖に嵐の聲ぞ砕くる
| ko no ha chiru toyama no kure o wakeyukeba sode ni arashi no koe zo kudakuru |
All the leaves are fallen, as Through the distant mountain’s dusk I make my way; Upon my sleeves, the storm-wind’s Cry is shattered. |
488
The Right state that the Left’s poem ‘seems superficially appealing, but actually has nothing remarkable about it.’ The Left question how the poet can ‘make his way through the dusk’ (kure o wakeyuku) and ‘shatter’ (kudakuru) the wind.
Shunzei’s judgment: The lower section of the Left’s poem is charming [okashiku koso haberu], but the initial section is frequently used, and old fashioned [tsune no furugoto nite]. The Right’s shattering of the wind in ‘the distant mountains’ dusk’ is a questionable expression [obotsukanaki yō], but the Left’s initial section really does sound as if it lacks any artistry [muisugite kikoyu]. The Right’s total effect is most fine [sugata yoroshiku miehaberi]. It should win.
Left (Win).
時分かぬ浪さへ色に泉川柞の杜に嵐吹らし
| toki wakanu nami sae iro ni izumigawa hahaso no mori ni arashi fukurashi |
Ever unchanging, Even the waves have coloured On Izumi River; In the oak groves Have the wild winds blown. |
443
Right.
秋深き岩田の小野の柞原下葉は草の露や染らん
| aki fukaki iwata no ono no hahasowara shitaba wa kusa no tsuyu ya somuran |
Autumn’s deep at Iwata-no-Ono In the oak groves Have the lower leaves by grass Touched dewfall been dyed? |
444
Neither team has any criticisms to make of the other’s poem.
Shunzei’s judgement: The total effect of the Left’s ‘even the waves have coloured on Izumi River’ (nami sae iro in izumigawa) is most superior [sugata wa yū narubeshi]. However, there does not appear to be any element linked to the final section’s ‘wild winds’ (arashi) in the initial part of the poem. The Right has ‘have the lower leaves by grass touched dewfall been dyed?’ (shitaba wa kusa no tsuyu ya somuran), without, in the initial section having an expression like ‘treetops stained by showers’ (kozue wa shigure somu), and I wonder about having the lower leaves on the trees touched by ‘dewfall on the grass’ (kusa no tsuyu). The Left’s ‘have the wild winds blown’ should win.
Left (Win).
あらし吹く梢はるかに鳴蝉の秋を近しと空に告ぐ也
| arashi fuku kozue haruka ni naru semi no aki o chikashi to sora o tsugu nari |
A storm wind blows The distant treetops, where The cicadas sing Of coming autumn To the skies. |
289
Right.
茂りあふ青き紅葉の下涼み暑さは蝉の聲にゆづりぬ
| shigeriau aoki momiji no shita suzumi atsusa wa semi no koe in yuzurinu |
Lush and Green beneath the maple leaves ‘Tis cool; The heat by cicadas Song is summoned. |
290
The Right state that, ‘“Sing…to the skies” (sora o tsugu) goes against the spirit of the topic,’ while the Left wonder, ‘What we can make of “green maple leaves” (aoki momiji)?’
Shunzei states, ‘The Left’s “sing of coming autumn to the skies” (aki o chikashi to sora o tsugu nari) is superlative. The Right’s “green maple leaves” (aoki momiji) must mean that the poet, on seeing a tree which turns scarlet, rather than green, recollects the autumn colour. However, “the heat” and the diction in the concluding line are somewhat pedestrian and unpoetic. I must award the victory to the Left.’