Autumn
むぐらはふやどとはわかず秋は来て心づくしの月ぞもりくる
| mugura hau yado to wa wakazu aki wa kite kokorozukushi no tsuki zo morikuru | From a mugwort tangled House I am no different: Autumn has come and, Heart draining, The moon comes dripping through.[i] |
8
[i] An allusive variation on: Topic unknown. このまよりもりくる月の影見れば心づくしの秋はきにけり ko no ma yori / morikuru tsuki no / kage mireba / kokorozukushi no / aki wa kinikeri ‘Between the trees / Drips moon / Light, seeing it I know / Heart draining / Autumn, has come at last.’ Anonymous (Kokinshū IV: 184)
The 15th night of the Eighth Month, last year.[i]
花の枝に露のやどかす宮城野の月にぞ秋の色はみえける
| hana no e ni tsuyu no yado kasu miyagino no tsuki ni zo aki no iro wa miekeru | A spray of blossom Has lent lodging to the dewdrops On Miyagi Plain In the moon, truly, autumn’s Hues are plain to see. |
[i] This poem was composed for the ‘Poetry Match of Places Famed for the Moon on the 15th Night of the Eighth Month’ (Hachigatsu jūgoya meisho no tsuki uta’awase 八月十五夜名所月歌合) held on night of the 15th day of the Eighth Month, Jōei 1 [1.9.1232] (Ishikawa and Tani 2001, 171), although it was not included in the extant text of the match.
Plum Blossom
Left
わがやどにふきくるかぜのにほへるはかきねのむめのはなやちるらむ
| wa ga yado ni fukikuru kaze no nioeru wa kakine no mume no hana ya chiruramu | To my house The breeze comes blowing With the scent of The plum by my brushwood fence— Maybe the blossoms are scattering? |
5[i]
Right (Win)
をしむとてをりしばかりをむめのはなそでににほひのたえずまるかな
| oshimu tote orishi bakari o mume no hana sode ni nioi no taezumaru kana | How dear to me, I think, are, Just plucked, These plum blossoms, for Their scent upon my sleeves Will ever cling! |
6
[i] This poem is included in Shoku kokinshū (I: 66), attributed to Kanemori, with the headnote ‘A poem from the Poetry Match held by the Reikeiden Junior Consort’.
Round Three
Left (Win)
わがやどの梅がえになくうぐひすは風のたよりにかをやとめこし
| wa ga yado no ume ga e ni naku uguisu wa kaze no tayori ni ka o ya tomekoshi | Upon my dwelling’s Branch of plum a’singing, Has the warbler By a message on the breeze Carrying fragrance perhaps been summoned? [i] |
Asatada
5[ii]
Right
さほひめのいとそめかくるあをやぎをふきなみだりそ春の山風
| saohime no ito somekakuru aoyagi o fuki na midari so haru no yamakaze | Princess Sao Has dyed the dangling threads of Green willow— O, don’t blow them into tangles, Spring breeze from the mountains! |
Kanemori
6
Warblers should have appeared here, but this is a poem about willows, so it loses.
しろたへの雪ふりやまぬ梅がえにいまぞうぐひす花となくなる
| shirotae no yuki furiyamanu ume ga e ni ima zo uguisu hana to nakunaru | White as mulberry cloth The snow falls unceasing— Upon the branch of plum, Now, indeed, the warbler, Sings of the blossom! |
Kanemori
7
Despite the mistaken composition, His Majesty required the original poem and it was located and recited.
Lord Hiromasa, the Reciter for the Right, mistakenly recited the willow poem. The Left raised an objection, saying, ‘He should have recited the warbler poem but, instead, erroneously recited the willow poem. Should he really be allowed to recite the correct poem now?’ The substance of the Left’s objection was conveyed to His Majesty, who instructed, ‘Provide a report based on prior precedent.’
This minor official advised His Majesty, ‘The Left’s objection is not unreasonable. However, matters such as this are best determined according to the circumstance of the occasion. As this was simply human error, why discriminate against the poem?’
Thus, His Majesty ordered that the poem be recited.
When he did so, Lord Hiromasa turned pale and was unable to recite the poem straight away. Although he finally managed to do so, his voice trembled and the Left laughed at him. Furthermore, the poem’s diction contained the nonsensical expression ‘sings of the blossom’, and thus this was still a loss.
[i] An allusive variation on: A poem from the Empress’ poetry competition held in the Kanpyō period. 花の香を風のたよりにたぐへてぞ鶯さそふしるべにはやる hana no ka o / kaze no tayori ni / taguete zo / uguisu sasou / shirube ni wa yaru ‘The blossoms’ scent / Messaged on the breeze / Brings / An invitation to the warbler / To try and bring him forth!’ Ki no Tomonori (Kokinshū I: 13)
[ii] This poem was included in Gyokuyōshū (I: 42), attributed to Asatada, with the headnote ‘On warblers, from the Palace Poetry Match in Tentoku 4’.
Round Two
Warblers
Left (Win)
こほりだにとまらぬ春のたに風にまだうちとけぬうぐひすのこゑ
| kōri dani tomaranu haru no tanikaze ni mada uchitokenu uguisu no koe | Even though the ice Lingers not in spring’s Valley breezes, Still unmelted is The warbler’s song. |
Shitagō
3[i]
Right
わがやどにうぐひすいたくなくなるはにはもはだらに花やちるらん
| wa ga yado ni uguisu itaku naku naru wa niwa mo hadara ni hana ya chiruran | At my house A warbler’s heartfelt Song fills My garden, spotted With blossom scattering? |
Kanemori
4[ii]
The Left poem’s sense is extremely charming. The Right poem’s pointless introduction of blossom scattering lacks interest and its diction is also poor. Thus, I make the Left the winner.
[i] This poem is included in Shūishū (I: 6); it was also included in the third edition of Kin’yōshū (I: 10).
[ii] This poem was subsequently included in several other collections: Kin’yōshū (first edition) (I: 14); Kin’yōshū (third edition) (I: 11); Shoku goshūishu (II: 114); and Mandaishū (II: 348).
Poems for a folding screen for His Majesty, former Emperor En’yū.
住吉の岸のふぢなみわがやどの松のこずゑに色はまさらじ
| sumiyosi no kisi no Fudinami wa ga yado no matu no kozuwe ni iro wa masarazi | On Sumiyoshi’s Shore are wisteria waves, but Those at my house, In the treetops of the pines Are not less superb in hue… |
Taira no Kanemori
