A reference to three well-known Chinese histories: the ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ (Shiji 史記; 109-91 BC;); the ‘Book of Han’ (Hàn Shū 漢書; 82 ); and the ‘Book of Later Han’ (Hòuhàn Shū 後漢書; 445).
Monthly Archives: January 2016
Love I: 18
Left.
唐土の見ず知らぬ世の人ばかり名にのみ聞きて止みねとや思ふ
| morokoshi no mizu shiranu yo no hito bakari na ni nomi kikite yamine to ya omou |
Distant Cathay: Unseen and unknown once was to Folk – every one; With the report of your name, alone, Will our love be over? |
635
Right.
いかにして露をば袖に誘ふらんまだ見ぬ里の萩の上風
| ika ni shite tsuyu o ba sode ni sasouran mada minu sato no hagi no uwakaze |
What am I to do? Dewfall to my sleeves Has come, brought from A dwelling, yet unseen, By breeze upon the bush-clover… |
636
The Right state that the Left’s use of ‘every one’ (bakari) connects poorly with the subsequent section [kakeawazu]. The Left state that the while the style of the Right’s poem seems elegant [sono tei yū ni niru to iedomo], ‘A dwelling, yet unseen bush-clover’ (mada minu sato no hagi) is hard to hear [kikigataku].
Shunzei’s judgement: ‘Distant Cathay unseen and unknown once’ (morokoshi no mizu shiranu yo) must be referring to the Three Histories and Eight Dynasties. This seems to be meaningful, but does not really indicate anything profound. As for ‘a dwelling, yet unseen bush-clover’, whichever way you look at it, it is modified by ‘dewfall has come’ (tsuyu o sasouran). However, the Left also has the recollection of Cathay, so the two poems are comparable.
Love I: 17
Left (Win).
谷深みはるかに人をきくの露触れぬ袂よ何しほるらん
| tani fukami haruka ni hito o kiku no tsuyu furenu tamoto yo nani shioruran |
Deep within the valley, Of her, a distant Word; no dew from the chrysanthemum Has touched my sleeves, so Why are they so damp? |
633
Right.
君をのみ心づくしに企救の池言ひ出ぬより袖ぞ濡れぬる
| kimi o nomi kokoro zukushi ni kiku no ike ii’idenu yori sode zo nurenuru |
Only you do Fill the whole of my heart; Word of the waters of Kiku Pond, A mere mention and My sleeves are soaked…. |
634
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem is without fault. The Gentlemen of the Left state: while the Right’s ‘Kiku Pond’ (kiku no ike) does have something novel about it, ‘a mere mention’ (ii’idenu) is pedestrian.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s ‘chrysanthemum valley’ (kiku no tani) and the Right’s ‘chrysanthemum pond’ (kiku no ike) both along the same lines and seem to sound charming [okashiku koso kikoehaberumeredomo]; still, ‘no dew from the chrysanthemum has touched my sleeves’ (kiku no tsuyu furenu tamoto yo) seems a little more elegant to me now.
Love I: 16
Left (Win).
名に立てる音羽の瀧も音にのみ聞くより袖の濡るゝ物かは
| na ni tateru otowa no taki mo oto ni nomi kiku yori sode no nururu mono ka wa |
The name is known: Otowa Falls Sounds forth; and just Hearing that Is enough to soak my sleeves? Surely not! |
631
Right.
鹿の音も嵐にたぐふ鐘の音も聞くよりこそは袖は濡れしか
| shika no ne mo arashi no taguu kane no oto mo kiku yori koso wa sode wa nureshika |
The braying of the stags, and With the storm wind The tolling bells: Hearing alone Does soak my sleeves. |
632
The Gentlemen of the Right state: there is nothing worth mentioning in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: using ne (‘braying’) and oto (‘sound’) in the same poem is a fault [yamai].
Shunzei’s judgement: Both poems are tasteful in form [utazama wa yū] , but the Right’s does contain a fault, as the Left have stated. Thus, the Left should win.
Love I: 15
Left.
いかでもと思し妹が有樣は語る人までなつかしきかな
| ikade mo to omoishi imo ga arisama wa kataru hito made natsukashiki kana |
Somehow, She has filled my thoughts, and When she is described, Even the one telling me Seems more dear! |
629.
Right.
雲間より聲を殘して歸る鳫聞かずはかゝる眺めせましや
| kumoma yori koe o nokoshite kaeru kari kikazu wa kakaru nagamesemashi ya |
From out the space between the clouds Linger the cries Of geese, homeward bound; Had I not heard them, I would not be so sunk in thought! |
630
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the use of the diction of ‘description’ (arisama) in the Left’s poem is inappropriate for the style of the poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem is no more than a pedestrian poem on homeward-bound geese.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left certainly does sound most mundane and unpoetic. As for the Right, while it seems like an evocative poem addressed to the topic of homeward-bound geese, is it not difficult for geese, or people, to leave behind their cries? In addition, it is unclear what sort of thoughts it is that occupy the poet. Both poems’ style lacks clarity. Thus, they are comparable and the round must tie.
Love I: 14
Left (Win).
聞わたる契りも深き縁あらば末も絶せじ中河の水
| kikiwataru chigiri mo fukaki enishi araba sue mo taeseji nakagawa no mizu |
Word reaches me Of a bond whose depth Reaches the life before – should it be so Then it will endure to the very end, As do the waters of the Naka River! |
627
Right.
見るめなき磯間隱れに寄る浪の音ばかりにも袖濡らせとや
| mirume naki isoma gakure ni yoru nami no oto bakari ni mo sode nurase to ya |
No algae grows Hidden on this rocky shore Where the breakers fall; Is it their sound alone That tells me to soak my sleeves? |
628
The Gentlemen of both Left and Right state: the other team’s poem lacks thought.
Shunzei’s judgement: Both are most poetic examples of examples of verses using the imagery of waves and waters, and there appears to be very little pointless space between them, but rather than being told to ‘soak one’s sleeves’ with no sight of the lady, the ‘deep bond’ of the ‘waters of the Naka River’ seems superior.
Love I: 13
Left.
契あらばあひ見て後ぞ知らるべき語りしさまの氣色なりとも
| chigiri araba aimite nochi zo shirarubeki katarishi sama no keshiki naritomo |
Should we have a bond, After meeting I would, no doubt, know it; And that the tales Of her appearance are true… |
625
Right.
人づてに何か心を盡すらん戀ざめならば悔しからじや
| hitozute ni nani ka kokoro o tsukusuran koizame naraba kuyashikaraji ya |
Via go-betweens Why should I my heart Pour out? For should I lose interest in loving you, How vexing it would be! |
The Provisional Master of the Empress Household Office.
626
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we find no faults worth mentioning in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right is overly frivolous.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left, by beginning ‘Should we have a bond’ (chigiri araba) gives an impression that that the poem will be fine, but the final section has little depth, and is only lightly linked with the conception. As for the Right’s poem, if one has ‘lost interest’, there would be no gain in truly pouring out one’s heart! Neither poems sounds like a winner, or a loser.
Love I: 12
Left (Win).
忍つゝこの世盡きなば思ふこと苔の下にや共に朽なん
| shinobitsutsu kono yo tsukinaba omou koto koke no shita ni ya tomo ni kuchinan |
Continually concealing: Should this world end, then My love for you Beneath the moss, With me, would rot away… |
623
Right.
あくがるゝ心の誰が床に行てあやむばかりの夢に見ゆらん
| akugaruru kokoro no tare ga toko ni yukite ayamu bakari no yume ni miyuran |
Summoned My heart to someone’s Bed does go; Simply a strange Dream, would she see? |
624
The Gentlemen of both Left and Right state: the final section of the other team’s poem is not bad.
Shunzei’s judgement: while I feel that the conception and diction of both poems seems fine [sugata kotoba yoroshiku miehaberu], the Right’s heart, flitting off to someone quite plainly, seems rather frivolous. The Left’s ‘beneath the moss’ (koke no shita ni ya) closely resembles the conception of the topic. It should win.
Love I: 11
Left.
氷ゐるみるめなぎさのたぐひかな上堰く袖の下のさゞ浪
| kōri iru mirume nagisa no tagui kana ue seku sode no shita no sazanami |
As ice-bound Algae on the beach Am I: The surface stopped up, but my sleeves Conceal a confusion of waves… |
621
Right.
我とはと思ふにかゝる涙こそ抑ふる袖の下になりぬれ
| ware to wa to omou ni kakaru namida koso osauru sode no shita ni narinure |
I should say nothing, I feel, and yet My tears, Held down by my sleeves, Do flow beneath them… |
622
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left do not seem to be expressing enough. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the initial line of the Right’s poem is difficult to pronounce. In addition, it is difficult to understand.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left’s ‘the surface stopped up, but my sleeves’ (ue seku sode no) and the Right’s ‘held down by my sleeves’ (osauru sode no) are both elegant in form [yū naru sama], but no matter how much I ponder them I find them difficult to comprehend, so again, there is no clear winner or loser this round.
Love I: 10
Left.
今ぞ知るあまたありける心とは忍ぶものから人の變しき
| ima zo shiru amata arikeru kokoro to wa shinobu mono kara hito no koishiki |
Now, I understand! How manifold is The heart, for One part waits, while Another longs for you… |
619
Right.
思堰く心の底の夢ならば覺めての後も人に語らじ
| omoiseku kokoro no soko no yume naraba samete no nochi mo hito ni kataraji |
Feelings dammed Within the bottom of my heart: I may dream them, but On waking There is no one I will tell…. |
620
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the Left’s poem does not sound as if the heart is especially manifold. The love is, indeed, kept secret. The Gentlemen of the Left state: while by mentioning ‘Feelings dammed within the bottom’ (omoiseku kokoro no soko), the Left reminds one of water, there is nothing in the poem to recollect a ‘dream’.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left’s form [utazama] does not seem to suggest a manifold heart, and the Right, too, does not sound like the heart’s depths, so the round should tie.