On the moonlight flooding over a ruined place
かくばかり風は吹けども板の間もあはぬは月の影さへぞもる
| kaku bakari kaze Fa Fukedomo ita no ma mo aFanu Fa tuki no kage saFe zo miru | So strongly Blows the wind, yet From between the boards, where They fail to meet, it is the moon’s Light that I do see! |
Izumi Shikibu
和泉式部
Left (Win)
住みなれし人はこずゑに絶えはてて琴の音にのみ通ふ松風
| suminareshi hito wa kozue ni taehatete koto no ne ni nomi kayou matsukaze |
Accustomed to his being here, Now, he comes not and from the treetops All that endures Are my zither’s strains, Blending with the pines. |
Lord Ari’ie
1103
Right
聞かじただつれなき人の琴の音にいとはず通ふ松の風をば
| kikaji tada tsurenaki hito no koto no ne ni itowazu kayou matsu no kaze o ba |
I will listen no more! To that cruel man’s Zither strains Heedlessly blending With the wind from off the pines… |
Nobusada
1104
The Right state: it sounds as if the man is enduring on the treetops. The Left state: ‘I will listen no more!’ (kikaji tada) is extremely coarse.
In judgement: while it may sound as if the man is enduring on the treetops in the Left’s poem, this is no more than a standard use of metaphorical expression, and the configuration of ‘accustomed to his being here, now, he comes not and from the treetops’ (suminareshi hito wa kozue ni) sounds fine, with the latter part of the poem also being elegant. The initial line of the Right’s poem has a conception of closing up the ears to block one’s auditory sense, which seems excessive. Clearly, the Left’s ‘my zither’s strains’ (koto no ne ni nomi) must win.
Left
あはぬまは琴柱も知らずひく琴の聞きにくきまで音にや立ててむ
| awanu ma wa kotoji mo shirazu hiku kono no kikinikuki made ne ni ya tatetemu |
Yet untuned, and Ignorant of where to place the bridge, Playing such a zither is Hard to hear, as Are my constant sobs, perhaps… |
Lord Kanemune
1097
Right (Win)
松風も琴のしらべに通ふなりわがひとり寝ぞ逢ふよしもなき
| matsukaze mo koto no shirabe ni kayou nari wa ga hitorine zo au yoshi mo naki |
The wind in the pines, as Zithers’ harmony Does blend; Yet I am sleeping solo, with No cause to meet at all… |
Lord Tsune’ie
1098
The Right state: the Left’s poem is preposterous. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left’s poem seems to be aping the style of the Left in the previous round. As for the Right’s poem, although ‘zithers’ harmony’ (koto no shirabe) sounds modern, it is in a standard style. It should win.
Left
恋妻はあらぬしらべしらべの琴の緒かあふことかたき音のみ絶えせぬ
| koizuma wa aranu shirabe no koto no o ka au koto kataki ne nomi taesenu |
My beloved wife: Is it that untuned are Our zithers’ strings? So there is no harmony, and Only my sobs are ceaseless… |
Lord Suetsune
1095
Right (Win)
松風に通ふと聞きし琴の音も物思ふ時は身にぞしみける
| matsukaze ni kayou to kikishi koto no ne mo mono’omou toki wa mi ni zo shimikeru |
The wind in the pines Resembles, I had heard, A zither’s strains that, too, When sunk in gloomy thought Dye one so deeply… |
Jakuren
1096
The Right state: saying ‘our zithers’ strings?’ (koto no o ka) is unsatisfactory. The Left state: if one is not depressed, would one not be deeply affected?
In judgement: the Left certainly sounds as if something is out of tune! The Right’s poem says that on hearing the wind pass through the pine trees, one would be affected. It sounds by no means distant from the topic. Thus, the Right wins.
Left
玉章のたえだえになるたぐひかな雲井に雁の見えみ見えずみ
| tamazusa no taedae ni naru tagui kana kumoi ni kari no miemi miezumi |
His jewelled missives Have become intermittent It seems, just like The geese up in the skies, Glimpsed, and then not seen at all… |
Lord Ari’ie
1051
Right (Win)
思かぬる夜はの袂に風ふけて涙の河に千鳥鳴くなり
| omoikanuru yowa no tamoto ni kaze fukete namida no kawa ni chidori nakunari |
Unable to bear my love, At midnight my sleeve is Stirred by the wind, and Upon a river of tears The plovers are crying… |
Nobusada
1052
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we find no faults to mention in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: we wonder about the reason for emphasising ‘upon a river of tears the plovers’ (namida no kawa ni chidori).
In judgement: the Left on a lover’s letters becoming intermittent, and saying ‘the geese up in the skies, glimpsed, and then not seen at all’ (kumoi ni kari no miemi miezumi) has a charming conception, and elegant diction. The Right, saying ‘at midnight my sleeve is stirred by the wind’ (yowa no tamoto ni kaze fukete) and continuing ‘the plovers are crying’ (chidori nakunari) has a configuration and diction which sounds fine, too. The criticisms of the Gentlemen of the Left are nothing more than ‘a fisherman fishing beneath his pillow’! Although the conception of the Left’s poem is charming, the configuration of the Right’s poem is slightly more notable, so it should win.
Left (Tie)
何とかく結ぼほるらん君はよもあはれとだにも岩代の松
| nani to kaku musubohoruran kimi wa yomo aware to dani mo iwashiro no matsu |
For what should we be so Entwined? He simply Thinks of me with pity, And says nothing, O pines of Iwashiro! |
Lord Kanemune
1037
Right
人戀ふる宿の櫻に風吹けば花も涙になりにけるかな
| hito kouru yado no sakura ni kaze fukeba hana mo namida ni narinikeru kana |
Loving him, My dwelling’s cherry trees Are blown by the wind, Petals, my tears Have become… |
Nobusada
1038
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to mention. The Gentlemen of the Left state: we wonder about the appropriateness of ‘petals, my tears’ (hana mo namida ni).
In judgement: the Left’s poem, with ‘he simply’ (kimi wa yomo) followed by ‘Thinks of me with pity, O pines of Iwashiro!’ (aware to dani mo iwashiro no matsu) is certainly elegant. The Right’s poem does have ‘petals, my tears’ (hana mo namida ni). It commences, ‘loving him, my dwelling’s cherry trees’ (hito kouru yado no sakura) and, when they are blown by the wind, the lady’s eyes darken with tears, and she is unable to distinguish the mass of blossom. It unclear which of the two should be winner, or loser. Thus, I shall make this a tie.
Composed on snow.
霰降りいたく風吹き寒き夜や旗野に今夜我が独り寝む
| arare puri itaku kaze puki samuki yo ya patano ni koyopi wa ga pitori nemu |
Hail falls, and Fiercely blows the wind, On this night, so cold; At Hatano, tonight, Must I sleep alone? |
秋の日のあやしきほどの黄昏に荻吹く風の音ぞ聞ゆる
| aki no Fi no ayasiki Fodo no tasogare ni wogi Fuku kaze no oto zo kikoyuru |
Autumn days Are most eerie At dusk, when The sound of wind blowing o’er the silver-grass Is all I hear… |
風吹けば磯打つ波の立ち返り見れども飽かぬ君にもあるかな
| kaze Fukeba iso utu nami no tatikaFeri miredomo akanu kimi ni mo aru kana |
When the wind does blow Waves strike the rocky shore Again and yet again I see you, yet unsated Of you am I! |
Minamoto no Nakazane
源仲実
心すむ尾上の松の風にまた鹿の音たぐふ秋の夕暮
| kokoro sumu onoe no matsu no kaze ni mata shika no ne taguu aki no yūgure |
Across the enlightened Pines of Onoe The wind, once more Resembles a stag’s cry On an autumn evening. |