Left (Tie).
風荒きもとあらの小萩袖に見て更け行夜半におもる白露
kaze araki
moto’ara no kohagi
sode ni mite
fukeyuku yowa ni
omoru shiratsuyu |
The wind, rough,
Speckles the little bush clover;
Upon my sleeves
At midnight
Heavy lie silven dewdrops. |
Lord Sada’ie.
695
Right.
來ぬひとを何にかこたん山の端の月は待出でて小夜更けにけり
konu hito o
nani ni ka kotan
yama no hashi no
tsuki wa machi’idete
sayo fukenikeri |
A man who comes not –
For what should I sigh?
The mountains’ edge
Awaits the emerging moon,
As evening wears on. |
Lord Takanobu.
696
Left and Right, again, state they find no faults.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left’s ‘upon my sleeves’ (sode ni mite) seems to go well with the conception, but that conception itself is not expressed in the poem’s diction. The Right’s ‘for what should I sigh?’ simply expresses the conception in its diction. They are of the same quality and should tie.
Left (Win).
蓬生の末葉の露の消えかへりなをこの世にと待たん物かは
yomogyū no
sueba no tsuyu no
kiekaeri
nao kono yo ni to
matan mono ka wa |
From the mugwort
Leaf-tips, the dewdrops
Have all vanished;
Yet within this world
Can I wait on…? |
A Servant Girl.
693
Right.
頼めとや頼めし宵の更くるこそかつがつ變る心なりけれ
tanome to ya
tanomeshi yoi no
fukuru koso
katsugatsu kawaru
kokoro narikere |
‘Believe in me’
And so I did, but
Night goes on
And, indeed,
His heart has changed! |
Ietaka.
694
Left and Right state: the contents of both poems are fine.
Shunzei’s judgement: the conception and configuration of both poems is elegant, and the Left’s ‘from the mugwort leaf-tips, the dewdrops’ (yomogyū no sueba no tsuyu) sounds fine. The Left should win.
Left (Win).
更けにけり頼めぬ鐘は音信て七編さびしき十編の菅薦
fukenikeri
tanomenu kane wa
otozurete
nanafu sabishiki
tofu no sugagomo |
Night has fallen,
Untrustworthy, the bell
Tolls – an absent vistor’s
Seven layers lie empty
Of ten layers of woven sedge blanket. |
Lord Ari’ie.
691
Right.
今日とても憂きに頼みは變れども待とて安き物思ひかは
kyō tote mo
uki ni tanomi wa
kawaredomo
matsu tote yasuki
mono’omoi ka wa |
I thought that today
My despair
To trust would change, yet
While waiting, calmness
Is farthest from my thoughts… |
Jakuren.
692
Left and Right both state: we find no faults.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left, commencing with ‘night has fallen’ (fukenikeri) and continuing with ‘seven layers lie empty’ (nanafu sabishiki) is elegant [yū]. It should win.
Left (Win).
つれなきを恨しよりもわりなきは頼むる暮を待にぞ有ける
tsurenaki o
uramishi yori mo
warinaki wa
tanomuru kure o
matsu ni zo arikeru |
His coldness
I have hated, but more
Unbearable is
Awaiting
The evening he has promised… |
Lord Suetsune.
687
Right.
今宵こそ床うち拂ひ待方の風の音さへ嬉しかりけれ
koyoi koso
toko uchiharai
matsu kata no
kaze no oto sae
ureshikarikere |
Tonight, for sure…
My bedding I sweep
And wait for him;
Even the breeze’s sound
Brings me joy! |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
688
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem appears somehow reversed. The Gentlemen of the Left state: we find no faults.
Shunzei’s judgement: what do the Gentlemen of the Right mean by saying the Left’s poem ‘seems somehow reversed’? Do they mean that referring explicitly to ‘waiting’ is a fault? The Left’s ‘I have hated, but more unbearable’ (uramishi yori mo warinaki wa) sounds pleasant. The Left should win.
Left.
入相の音につけても待たれし寢よとの鐘に思ひ弱りぬ
iriai no
oto ni tsukete mo
matareshi
neyo to no kane ni
omoiyowarinu |
For the sunset bell’s
Toll
Have I waited, and
Thought to go to sleep, but a further chime
Leaves me distraught. |
Kenshō
685
Right (Win).
宵の鐘を聞すぐすだに苦しきに鳥の音を鳴袖の上哉
yoi no kane o
kikisugusu dani
kurushiki ni
tori no ne o naku
sode no ue kana |
The night’s bells
I hear, in passing, but
More painful is
The birdsong falling
Upon my sleeves… |
Nobusada
686
The Gentlemen of the Right state: in the Left’s poem the use of ‘have I waited’ (matareshi) gives the impression that the wait has been very long, indeed! In addition, ‘thought to go to sleep, but a further chime’ (neyo to no kane) is unsatisfactory. ‘Sunset bell’ (iriai no oto) and ‘sleep, but a further chime’ (neyo to no kane) – both these expressions have the same meaning. The Gentlemen of the Left state: in the Right’s poem ‘painful’ (kurushiki ni) sounds weak.
Shunzei’s judgement: the statement by the Gentlemen of the Right concerning ‘sunset bell’ and ‘sleep, but a further chime’ is correct. As for the faults of the Right’s poem, using painful or ‘sorrowful’ (wabishi) forcefully certainly does not sound weak. Having said, ‘I hear, in passing, but’ (kikisugusu dani) makes it more painful. The final line sounds charming. Thus, the Right wins.
'Simply moving and elegant'