Left (Tie)
月さゆるつもりのうらのみづがきはふりしくゆきにいろもかはらず
| tsuki sayuru tsumori no ura no mizukaki wa furishiku yuki ni iro wa kawarazu | The moon, so chill, shines Upon the Bay of Tsumori, Where the honored sacred grounds, Spread with fallen snow Remain unchanged in hue. |
Taifu, in service to the Former Ise Virgin[i]
33
Right
あらしふくまつのこずゑにきりはれてかみもこころやすみのえの月
| arashi fuku matsu no kozue ni kiri harete kami mo kokoro ya suminoe no tsuki | The storm wind blows Across the treetops of the pines, Clearing the mists away— I wonder, is the Deity’s heart at Suminoe beneath the moon? |
Lord Fujiwara no Sadanaga
Junior Assistant Minister of Central Affairs
Exalted Fifth Rank, Lower Grade[ii]
34
The Left’s poem appears to be about chill fallen snow spread upon Tsumori Bay, so in saying that the waters bounding the sacred grounds cannot conceal the hue, it appears to be saying that the moon’s light is white, but I wonder if the diction is a bit insufficient to convey this? It seems to me that it simply says that although snow has fallen on the waters bounding the sacred grounds, their hue has not changed—doesn’t it? As for the Right’s poem, I can say that its conception and configuration are pleasant, but it begins with ‘the storm wind blows’ and one cannot say ‘storm wind’ along with ‘beach pines’. One can understand this based on the poem ‘Yes, the mountain wind / Is aptly named “Storm”‘. Still, the poem’s configuration does appear pleasant. Again, I make this a tie.
[i] Zen-saigū no Taifu 前斎宮大輔
[ii] Jūgoige-gyō nakatsukasa no shō Fujiwara ason Sadanaga 従五位下行中務少輔藤原朝臣定長
