uguisu no nakitsuru nae ni kasugano no kyō no miyuki o hana to koso mire
While the warbler Sings on Kasuga Plain Today, accompanying the progress, snow As blossom does appear.[1]
16
Left (Win)
いまはしもはなとぞいはむかすがののはるのみゆきをなにとかは見む
ima wa shimo hana to zo iwamu kasugano no haru no miyuki o nani to ka wa mimu
Now, of all, The blossom, I would describe, On Kasuga Plain, as Springtime progress snow— What else can I say?
17
Right
ふるさとにゆきまじりたるはなと見ばわれにおくるなのべのうぐひす
furusato ni yukimajiritaru hana to miba ware ni okuru na nobe no uguisu
Around the ancient capital Have I gone amidst the snow— If as blossom I did see it, then, O, don’t send me off, Warbler upon the plain!
18
[1] SIS 1044 attributed to Fujiwara no Tadafusa ‘Headnote ‘Among the many poems presented by provincial officials, when the Kyōgoku Lady of the Bedchamber visited Kasuga.’
uguisu no naku ki no moto ni furu yuki wa hakaze ni hana no chiru ka to zo miru
The warbler Sings from in a tree, its roots Covered by falling snow; Breeze stirred by its wingbeats, blossom Does seem to scatter.
Lord Kiyosuke 1
Right
うぐひすのなきて木づたふ梅がえにこぼるる露や涙なるらん
uguisu no nakite kozutau ume ga e ni koboruru tsuyu ya namida naruran
The warbler Crying flits from Branch to plum branch; Has the dripping dew His tears, perhaps, become?
Shun’e 2
Both Left and Right proceed smoothly, but what are we to make of the line ‘Crying flits’ in the Right’s poem? As this is also an expression which implies that dew is falling, these should tie.
