Round Twenty-One
Left (Win)
小倉山木木のもみぢのくれなゐはみねの嵐のおろすなりけり
ogurayama kigi no momiji no kurenai wa mine no arashi no orosu narikeri On gloomy Mount Ogura The leaves upon the trees, So scarlet, By the storm wind from the peak Are tossed down.
Lord Kiyosuke 41
Right
ふかくあさきもみぢばながるあすか河ふちせは色にあらはれにけり
fukaku asaki momijiba nagaru asukagawa fuchise wa iro ni arawarenikeri Across both depths and shallows Flow the scarlet leaves On the Asuka river, Among the rapids and the pools Have they appeared.
Shun’e 42
Neither of these is bad. The Right violates the five syllable pattern; the Left has no faults.
Round Twenty
Scarlet Leaves
Left (Tie)
秋されば暁つゆにいもが袖まきぎの山ににほふもみぢば
aki sareba akatsuki tsuyu ni imo ga sode makigi no yama ni niou momijiba When the autumn comes, With the dawn, the dewdrops, as Upon a sweet girl’s sleeves, At Makigi Mountain Bring a lustre to the scarlet leaves…
Masashige 39
Right
下染はおなじみどりにみし程も紅葉の色のうすくこきかな
shitazome wa onaji midori ni mishi hodo mo momiji no iro no usuku koki kana First dyed All with green, When I gazed upon them, now The scarlet leaves’ hues are Pale and vibrant both!
Kūnin 40
The Left has a lofty tone, yet the Right is still smooth. Thus, I make this a tie.
Round Nineteen
Left (Win)
うちはらふ枕のちりもかくれなくあれたる宿をてらす月影
uchiharau makura no chiri mo kakurenaku aretaru yado o terasu tsukikage Needing to be swept away, The dust upon my pillow Cannot be concealed In my dilapidated dwelling, when The moonlight shines within…
Taifu 37
Right
秋の夜の月みる袖におく露やひるにかはれるしるしなるらん
aki no yo no tsuki miru sode ni oku tsuyu ya hiru ni kawareru shirushi naruran On an autumn night Upon my sleeves, when gazing at the moon, Fall dewdrops— That all is changed from daytime Might they be a sign?
Yorisuke 38
In both the moon is bright, and I feel they reflect the essential meaning of the topic, but as its diction is currently slightly more familiar, I make the Left the winner. It would be possible to call this a tie, too, though.
Round Seventeen
Left
夜もすがらをばすて山の月をみて昔にかよふ我がこころかな
yomosugara obasuteyama no tsuki o mite mukashi kayou wa ga kokoro kana All night long At Mount Obasute Gazing upon the moon— Drifting back to days gone by Goes my heart!
Lord Kiyosuke 33
Right (Win)
山のはに雲のよこぎるよひのまは出でても月ぞ猶またれける
yama no ha ni kumo no yokogiru yoi no ma wa idete mo tsuki zo nao matarekeru Along the mountains’ edge Trail clouds Throughout the night, so Even as it rises, the moon I am yet awaiting!
Atsuyori 34
Round Sixteen
The Moon
Left (Tie)
今よりはふけ行くまでに月はみしその事となく涙おちけり
ima yori wa fukeyuku made ni tsuki wa mishi sono koto to naku namida ochikeri From now Until it set, Did I gaze upon the moon Had it not been there, then Would have my tears fell.
Lord Kiyosuke 31
Right
待つ人のこぬもおもへばつらからずねなばこよひの月をみましや
matsu hito no konu mo omoeba tsurakarazu nenaba koyoi no tsuki o mimashi ya The man I await Has failed to come, I think, but I’ll not be downcast, for Had I to bed tonight Would I have gazed upon the moon?
Kūnin 32
Both have deep feeling—it really is impossible to distinguish them.
Round Fourteen
Left (Win)
七夕のわかるる今朝のたもとにや秋の白露おきはじむらん
tanabata no wakaruru kesa no tamoto ni ya aki no shiratsuyu okihajimuran The Weaver Maid Parts from him this morn, Upon her sleeves Autumn’s silver dewdrops Must have begun to fall…
Shun’e 27
Right
秋へてもはてなき中をみるをりは七夕つめぞうらやまれける
aki hete mo hatenaki naka o miru ori wa tanabatatsume zo urayamarekeru Though the autumns pass, When on their endless bond She ponders, Even the Weaver Maid Must despise her lot!
Kenshō 28
Round Thirteen
Left (Tie)
ひこぼしのくれをまつまはあぢきなく雲のよそなる心ちこそせね
hikoboshi no kure o matsu ma wa ajikinaku kumo no yoso naru kokochi koso sene While the Herd Boy The evening awaits, He suffers— Beyond the distant clouds Is where his feelings lie!
Taifu 25
Right
さもこそは身はならはしといひながら七夕いかでたへてすぐらん
sa mo koso wa mi wa narawashi to iinagara tanabata ikade taete suguran That is how it is— Her flesh knows how it is, They say, but How is it that the Weaver Maid Endures the passing days?
Kenshō
26
In terms of overall quality, the Left is superior, but I am unable to understand it. The conclusion of the Right is non-standard.
Round Twelve
Left (Tie)
秋風の吹くときくより七夕はこころのうちやすずしかるらん
akikaze no fuku to kiku yori tanabata wa kokoro no uchi ya suzushikaruran Since the autumn breeze’s Blowing she has heard, The Weaver Maid Surely within her heart Feels a pleasant cool!
Suketaka 23
Right
七夕のまちつる程の久しさにはかなくあくる空をかへばや
tanabata no machitsuru hodo no hisashisa ni hakanaku akuru sora o kaeba ya The Weaver Maid Her waiting time’s Eternity for The briefly brightening Sky would wish to change…
Moromitsu 24
Round Eleven
Tanabata
Left (Win)
七夕はたえぬ契りをうれしともこよひばかりやおもひしるらん
tanabata wa taenu chigiri o ureshi tomo koyoi bakari ya omoishiruran The Weaver Maid’s Unending vow is A source of joy, yet Is it only on this night That she truly feels it?
Shun’e 21
Right
天の河わたるこよひや七夕は中中袖をぬらさざるらん
ama no kawa wataru koyoi ya tanabata wa nakanaka sode o nurasazaruran The River of Heaven Does she cross tonight, so The Weaver Maid Truly, her sleeves Dampens not, I think!
Yorisuke 22
Round Ten
Left (Win)
よひのまぞ人をばまちしほととぎすあくるまでこそねられざりけれ
yoi no ma zo hito oba machishi hototogisu akuru made koso nerarezarikere All night long Did I await him once, but T’is the cuckoo: Even more until the dawn, that Keeps me from my sleep!
Shun’e 19
Right
花はすぎ紅葉はまだき夏山にをりえてもなく時鳥かな
hana wa sugi momiji wa madaki natsuyama ni oriete mo naku hototogisu kana The blossoms are past, and Scarlet leaves have yet to come; In the summer mountains How lively sings The cuckoo!
Kenshō 20
The Left’s poem certainly commands one’s interest.
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'Simply moving and elegant'