Left (Tie).
外山とてよそにも見えじ春の着る衣かたしき寢ての朝けは
| toyama tote yoso ni mo mieji haru no kiru koromo katashiki nete no asake wa |
The mountains outside my door, Unseen from afar Wear their spring Garb: in a single layer of haze They slept, this dawning. |
9
Right
張るの夜の夢の浮橋とだえして峰にわかるゝ横雲の空
| haru no yo no yume no ukihashi todaeshite mine ni wakaruru yokogumo no sora |
On a night in spring The floating bridge of dreams Does break, and Parting from the peaks Are lines of cloud across the sky. |
10
Left.
花の香のかすめる月にあくがれて夢もさだかに見えぬ比かな
| hana no ka no kasumeru tsuki ni akugarete yume mo sadaka ni mienu koro kana |
The blossoms’ scent Befogs the moon; Thus lost, Certain it is that dreams Will not come now, perhaps… |
7
Right (Win)
春の夜は月の桂もにほふ覧光に梅の色はまがひぬ
| haru no yo wa tsuki no katsura mo niouran hikari ni ume no iro wa magainu |
On a night in springtime The moon’s silver trees, too, Must give out their fragrance; In such light the plums’ Hues can be mistaken. |
8
Left (Tie)
うちわたす遠方人はこたえねどにほひぞなのる野べの梅が枝
| uchiwatasu ochikatabito wa kotaenedo nioi zo nanoru nobe no ume ga e |
A far, far, Distant soul Makes no reply, yet A fragrance styles A sprig of plum upon the plain. |
Right
5
飛鳥河遠き梅が枝にほふ夜はいたづらにやは春風の吹
| asukagawa tōki ume ga e niou yo wa itzura ni ya wa harukaze no fuku |
By the Asuka River, From afar a spray of plum Scents the night; Pointlessly Does the spring wind blow? |
6
Left (Win)
おほぞらは梅のにほひに霞つゝくもりもはてぬ春の夜の月
| ōzora wa ume no nioi ni kasumitsutsu kumori mo hatenu haru no yo no tsuki |
The heavens with The scent of plum Are hazed; Not with cloud is covered This spring night’s moon. |
3
Right
こゝろあてにわくともわかじ梅の花散かふ里の春の淡雪
| kokoroate ni waku tomo wakaji ume no hana chirikau sato no haru no awayuki |
A guess Could not tell between The plum blossom Scattered round my dwelling and Spring snow spume. |
4
In the Second Month of the Fourth Year of Kenpô (1216), I selected and ordered two hundred of my own meagre works. In the Sixth Month of the following year, I took the order apart and rearranged it somewhat. In the Seventh Year of Kenpô, I secretly presented it to His Majesty, and received an Imperial judgement upon it.
Left (Tie)
春日野にさくや梅が枝雪まより今は春べと若菜つみつゝ
| kasugano ni saku ya ume ga e yukima yori ima wa harube to wakana tsumitsutsu |
On Kasuga field, O, branches of blooming plum blossom! From the spaces in the snow, ‘Now Spring is come!’ Do we pluck fresh greens. |
1
Right
消なくに又やみ山をうづむらん若菜つむ野も淡雪ぞ降
| kienakuni mata ya miyama o uzumuran wakana tsumu no mo awayuki zo furu |
Has it not gone, and yet The mountains’ depths Does bury? Upon the fresh-green picking fields A spume of snow falls on… |
2
Left (Win).
初春のけふはかしこきみことのりのべよと千世のしるしぞ置く
| hatsu haru no kyō wa kashikoki mikotonori nobeyo to chiyo no shirushi zo oku |
At the start of spring Today, the awesome Imperial Word Announce! For a thousand generations The signs are placed. |
Right.
諸人の立ちゐる庭のさか月に光もしるし千代の初春
| morobito no tachi’iru niwa no sakazuki ni hikari mo shirushi chiyo no hatsuharu |
Where the courtier crowds Sit and stand within the gardens, Upon the wine cups Light is e’en a sign, of A thousand generations, at the start of spring. |
Ietaka
6
Neither team finds any fault in the other’s poem this round.
Shunzei’s judgement: The conception [kokoro] of the Left’s ‘Announce! For a thousand generations the signs are placed’ (nobeyo to chiyo no shirushi zo oku) is fine [yoroshiku haberubeshi]. The configuration of the Right’s poem, too, is splendid [sugata wa yū ni haberu], but ‘wine cups’ (sakazuki) seems rather abrupt. ‘Light’ (hikari) could beimagined as coming from the moon, but its origin is not entirely clear. Thus, as a result, the Left must win.
Left.
立ちかはる年のはじめは豊御酒にかさねてたまふ広幡の衣
| tachikawaru toshi no hajime wa toyo miki ni kasanete tamau hirohata no kinu |
Newly arrived is The year, and at its head, A goodly draught of wine, Once more, bestowed with A broad bolt of silken cloth! |
Right (Win).
松が崎たえぬ氷室に皇の千世にためしをけふぞたてける
| matsugasaki taenu himuro ni suberaki no chiyo ni tameshi o kyō zo tatekeru |
In Matsugasaki, Unenduring ice-houses: within, Of His Majesty’s Thousand ages, a sign Stands there this day. |
The Right state that there is not doubting the conception of the Left’s poem as a Festival poem [sechie no kokoro wa utagainashi]. The final section, though, does not fit this [kokoro yukazu]. The Left state that the first five syllables of the Right’s poem are grating to hear [mimi ni tachite kikoyu].
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem is truly completely in keeping with the conception of the topic [dai no kokoro wa makoto ni kagirinaku], but ‘A broad bolt of silken cloth!’ (hirohata no kinu) really does seem unsuited. The Right’s poem concerns the Ice Testing on New Year’s Day, and so does have the conception of a festival poem, but [en no kokoro mo habaramedo] on the face of it the poem feels more like one on the topic of Ice-Houses. However, it is still the case that hirohata sounds poor [yoshikarazu kikoe]. I will make ‘Ice Houses’ the winner.
Left (Tie).
あら玉の年を雲井にむかふとてけふ諸人に御酒たまふなり
| aratama no toshi o kumoi ni mukau tote kyô morobito ni miki tamau nari |
To the fresh-jewelled Year does the cloud-borne Palace Turn; This day, on many folk Will the esteemed draught be bestowed! |
Right (Tie).
もゝしきや春をむかふるさかづきに君が千歳の影ぞうつれる
| momoshiki ya haru o mukauru sakazuki ni kimi ga chitose no kage zo utsureru |
Hundred-fold, the Palace, to Spring does turn! Within the wine cups, His Majesty’s one thousand years Does show its form! |
Nobusada
2
The Right find no faults in the Left’s poem this round. The Left state that the conception [kokoro] of the Right’s poem is incorrect for the topic of Festivals on New Year’s Day. It suggests, rather, the Migusuri rites.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem starts with ‘To the fresh-jewelled’ (aratama no) which is approprate for the first poem in the first round, but concludes with ‘Will the esteemed draught be bestowed!’ (miki tamau nari), which is extremely pedestrian diction [muge ni tada kotoba ni haberan]. The Left have stated that the Right’s poem lacks the conception of the festivals [en no kokoro naki]. That may be the case, but still I wonder if it is lacking as a festival poem? It does refer to celebration. The round should tie.