Left (Tie).
あふひ草かざすけふとぞ思しに花を折りても見えわたるかな
| aoigusa kazasu kyō to zo omoishi ni hana o oritemo miewataru kana |
With hollyhock I’d Deck myself today I thought, And found all blessed with blooms Within my sight! |
211
Right (Tie).
ちはやぶる賀茂のみあれのあふひ草ひきつゞきても渡るけふ哉
| chihayaburu kamo no miare no aoigusa hikitsuzukitemo wataru kyō kana |
To mighty Kamo for these three days have The hollyhocks In ever longer lines Processed toward this day. |
212
The Right, ‘wonder if the Left’s poem doesn’t make the hollyhock seem like an afterthought?’, while the Left content themselves with saying, ‘the initial section of the Right’s poems seems rather dated.’
Shunzei disagrees: ‘The Left’s poem does not make the hollyhocks secondary – rather than implying they are mere decorations, it suggests the beauty of everyone beautifully adorned proceeding toward the shrine. As for the Right’s poem, the use of old-fashioned terms is normal in the context. This makes both poems are equal, and the round should tie.’