Left (Tie)
あふことのきみにたえにしわがみよりいくらのなみだながれいでぬらむ
au koto no kimi ni taenishi wa ga mi yori ikura no namida nagare’idenuramu My meetings with
Ise
59
Right
きみこひのあまりにしかばしのぶれどひとのしるらんことのわびしさ
kimi koi no amari nishikaba shinoburedo hito no shiruran koto no wabishiki Loving you
Tsurayuki
On hearing His Highness, the Prince of the Right remark in irritation that the Left’s poem had appealed to His Majesty’s heart, His Majesty composed
yukikaeri chidori naku naru hamayū no kokoro hedatete omou mono ka wa Going back and forth
His Majesty
Left
うつつにもゆめにもひとによるしあへばくれゆくばかりうれしきはなし
utsutsu ni mo yume ni mo hito ni yoru shi aeba kureyuku bakari ureshiki wa nashi In reality and
Mitsune
Right (Win)
たまもかるあまとはなしにきみこふるわがころもでのかわくときなき
tamamo karu ama to wa nashi ni kimi kouru wa ga koromode no kawaku toki naki Reaping gemweed,
58
Left (Tie)
ひとのうへとおもひしものをわがこひになしてやきみがただにやみぬる
hito no ue to omoishi mono o wa ga koi ni nashite ya kimi ga tada ni ya minuru Upon me
Mitsune
Right
あしまよふなにはのうらにひくふねのつなでながくもこひわたるかな
ashi mayou naniwa no ura ni hiku fune no tsunade nagaku mo koi wataru kana Lost among the reeds
56
Left (Tie)
たれによりおもひくだくるこころぞはしらぬぞひとのつらさなりける
tare ni yori omoi’kudakuru kokoro zo wa shiranu zo hito no tsurasa narikeru For who is it that
Mitsune
Right
はづかしのもりのはつかにみしものをなどしたくさのしげきこひなる
hazukashi no mori no hatsuka ni mishi mono o nado shitakusa no shigeki koi naru Shyly in Hazukashi
Mitsune
Love
Five poems, stopping at five
Left (Win)
なみだがはいかなるみづかながるらんなどわがこひをけすひとのなき
namidagawa ika naru mizu ka nagaruran nado wa ga koi o kesu hito no naki In the River of Tears
Okikaze
Right
みをもかへおもふものからこひといへばもゆるなかにもいるこころかな
mi o mo kae omou mono kara koi to ieba moyuru naka ni iru kokoro kana Staking my life is
Okikaze
Left
さよふけてなどかなくらむほととぎすたびねのやどをかすひとやなき
sayo fukete nado ka nakuramu hototogisu tabine no yado o kasu hito ya naki Brief night breaks, so
49
Right (Win)
なつのいけによるべさだめぬうきくさのみづよりほかにゆくかたもなし
natsu no ike ni yorube sadamenu ukikusa no mizu yori hoka ni yuku kata mo nashi Upon the pond in summer
Okikaze
Left (Win)
われききてひとにはつげむほととぎすおもふもしるくまづここになけ
ware kikite hito ni wa tsugeku hototogisu omou shiruku mazu koko ni nake I listen, and
Mitsune
Right
かたをかのあしたのはらをとよむまでやまほととぎすいまぞなくなる
kataoka no ashita no hara o toyomu made yamahototogisu ima zo nakunaru Until in Kataoka
48
When ‘Until in Kataoka / The plain of Ashita / Does resound’ had been recited, His Majesty laughed, saying, ‘It would be impossible for it to resound,’ so the final part of the poem was not recited and it lost.
Left (Tie)
むらさきにあふみづなれやかきつばたそこのいろさへかはらざるらむ
murasaki ni au mizu nare ya kakitsubata soko no iro sae kawararuramu Violet
Mitsune
Right
ほととぎすこゑのみするはふくかぜのおとはのやまになけばなりけり
hototogisu koe nomi suru wa fuku kaze no otowa no yama ni nakeba narikeri A cuckoo’s
46
Left (Tie)
やまざとにしるひともがなほととぎすなきぬときかばつげもくるがに
yamazato ni shiru hito mogana hototogisu nakinu to kikaba tsuge mo kuru gani At a mountain retreat,
Okikaze
43
Right
なつきぬとひとしもつげぬわがやどにやまほととぎすはやくなくなり
natsu kinu to hito shimo tsugenu wa ga yado ni yamahototogisu hayaku nakunari Summer has come—that
44
Summer
Five poems on the Fourth Month
Left (Win)
みやまいでてまづはつこゑはほととぎすよぶかくまたむわがやどになけ
miyama idete mazu hatsukoe wa hototogisu yobu kaku matamu wa ga yado ni nake Emerging from the mountains deep,
Masakata[i]
41
Right
けふよりはなつのころもになりぬれどきるひとさへはかはらざりけり
kyō yori wa natsu no koromo ni narinuredo kiru hito sae wa kawarazarikeri From today
Mitsune
‘The Right is uninteresting,’ so it lost.
[i] Minamoto no Masakata 源雅固 (dates unknown). A son of Minamoto no Sada’ari 源定有 (dates unknown), one of the sons of Emperor Montoku (827-858; r. 850-858).
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