Geese
Left (Win)
わがせこがたびのころもをうちはへてまつかりがねのいまもなかなむ
| wa ga seko ga tabi no koromo o uchihaete matsu kari ga ne no ima mo nakanamu | My darling man’s Journey garb I will spread out, for The long-awaited goose cries Are now sounding out. |
Korenari
9
Right
わぎもこがかけてまつらんたまづさとかきつらねたるはつかりのこゑ
| wagimoko ga kakete matsuran tamazusa to kakitsuranetaru hatsu kari no koe | My darling girl Does ever seem to wait! Jewelled missives Written with The first goose calls… |
10
Left
明けぬ間に箱根の山の時鳥二声とだに鳴き渡るらむ
| akenu ma ni Fakone no yama no Fototogisu Futakowe to dani nakiwataruramu |
Before the dawn no Hakone Mountain Cuckoos’ Twin calls simply Seem to sing back and forth |
17
Right (Win)
深山出でていづこも旅ぞ時鳥ここにを結べ草の枕は
| miyama idete iduko mo tabi zo Fototogisu koko ni wo musube kusa no makura wa |
Emerging from the mountains’ depths Where does your journey take you, O, cuckoo? Here will I twine strands Of grass for my pillow… |
18
取りすがる恋の奴に慕はれて立ち止まりぬる旅衣かな
| torisugaru koFi no yatuko ni sitaFarete tatidomarinuru tabi no koromo kana |
Trailing after comes, Love’s slave, So sweet that I Have halted In my travelling garb! |
Shun’e
俊恵
泉川渡り瀬深み我が背子が旅行き衣ひづちなむかも
| idumigapa watarise pukami wa ga seko ga tabi yukigoromo pidutinamu kamo |
Upon the River Izumi, The ford is deep, indeed; My darling’s Traveller’s robes Never will stay dry! |
Left (Win).
旅寢する我をば床の主にて枕に宿る小夜の面影
| tabinesuru ware oba toko no aruji nite makura ni yadoru sayo no omokage |
When sleeping on my travels I of my bedding Am master! Lodging by my pillow is A face from a night too brief… |
Lord Ari’ie
895
Right.
まどろまぬその夜な夜なを數ふれば夢路も遠き草枕哉
| madoromanu sono yona yona o kazoureba yumeji mo tōki kusamakura kana |
Unable to even doze Night after night I count them up, and The path of dreams gets more Distant from my grassy pillow. |
Lord Takanobu
896
The Right state: the Left’s poem seems fine. The Left state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Right’s ‘the path of dreams gets more distant’ (yumeji mo tōki) sounds elegant, but the Left’s poem has already been assessed as ‘fine’ in the comments by the gentlemen of the Right. This round I will leave the judgement in their hands and make the Left the winner.
On frogs.
草枕旅に物思ひ我が聞けば夕かたまけて鳴くかはづかも
| kusa makura tabi ni monomopi wa ga kikeba yupukata makete naku kawadu kamo |
Pillowed on the grass, In gloomy thought on my travels, And then I hear, As if eager for evening, The frogs calling… |
Anonymous
千鳥鳴く与謝のうら浦風心せよ都恋しき旅の寝覚に
| chidori naku yosa no ura kaze kokoro seyo miyako koishiki tabi no nezame ni |
Plovers’ cries On the winds at Yosa shore Wrench my heart; How I long for the capital Starting from sleep on my travels. |
Fujiwara no Takanobu
藤原隆信
On rain.
梅の花散らす春雨いたく降る旅にや君が廬りせるらむ
| ume no pana tirasu parusame itaku puru tabi ni ya kimi ga iporiseruramu |
The plum blossom Are scattered by spring showers Savage fall; On your travels, my love What hut provides your shelter? |
Anonymous