Round Seven
Left (Win)
あしひきのやまがくれなるさくらばなちりのこれりと風にしらすな
| ashihiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana chirinokoreri to kaze ni shirasu na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, Do not tell the wind! |
Shōni no myōbu
14[1]
Right
としごとにきつつわがみるさくらばなかすみもいまはたちなかくしそ
| toshi goto ni kitsutsu wa ga miru sakurabana kasumi mo ima wa tachi na kakushi so | Every single year I hear of and gaze upon Cherry blossom: The haze, too, now Arising, don’t hide them! |
Nakatsukasa
15
The Left’s poem is extremely charming – that really is how things are.
The Right’s poem: where is it that you always hear of and then see them? This is a bit rough. There’s also no reason to include the expression ‘now’ here. Thus, the Left wins.
[1] A variant of this poem was later included in Shūishū (I: 66).
From a poetry match held during the reign of the Tenryraku Emperor.[i]
あしひきの山がくれなるさくら花ちりのこれりと風にしらるな
| asiFiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana tirinokoreri to kaze ni siraru na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, I would not have the wind discover! |
Shōni no myōbu
少弐命婦
[i] The poetry match in question is Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo-nen (‘Palace Poetry Match – Tentoku 4’; 960), held by Emperor Murakami 村上 (924-967; r. 946-967). The poem in the match is slightly different.
敷治奈美乃 志気里波須疑奴 安志比紀乃 夜麻保登等芸須 奈騰可伎奈賀奴
ふぢなみの しげりはすぎぬ あしひきの やまほととぎす などかきなかぬ
| pudinami no sigeri pa suginu asipiki no yamapototogisu nado ka kikanu | The wisteria waves’ Verdant time has passed, O, leg-wearying Mountain cuckoo, so Why won’t you sing? |
Composed by Secretary Kume no asomi Hironawa on the 23rd day.
When there was a heavy spring shower falling, on the way back after I had made a pilgrimage to the two places.[i]
春雨にうちそほちつつあし曳の山ぢゆくらむ山人やたれ
| harusame ni uchisōchitsutsu ashihiki no yamaji yukuramu yamabito ya tare | By rains in springtime, I am ever drenched, upon Leg-wearing Mountain trails I may have gone, but Who might the immortal be?[ii] |
594
[i] ‘Two places’ (nisho 二所) was an abbreviation for ‘manifested deities of two shrines’ (nisho gongen 二所権現) which, in turn, was a reference to Hakone-gongen 箱根権現 and Izu-gongen 伊豆権現, the kami of Hakone shrine and Izuyama Shrine, manifesting as Buddhist deities. Both of these deities were venerated by Minamoto no Yoritomo 源頼朝 (1147-1199), the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, and his wife, Hōjō Masako 北条政子 (1157-1225) and after Yoritomo’s death, shogun’s continued to make an annual pilgrimage to both shrines.
[ii] See: A single poem presented in reply by Prince Toneri. 安之比奇能 山尓由伎家牟 夜麻妣等能 情母之良受 山人夜多礼 ashihiki no / yama ni yukikemu / yamabito no / kokoro mo shirazu / yamabito ya tare ‘To the leg-wearying / Mountains seeming to have gone / An immortal’s / Heart I cannot know, but / Who might that immortal be?’ (Man’yōshū XX: 4294)
A single poem presented in reply by Prince Toneri.
安之比奇能 山尓由伎家牟 夜麻妣等能 情母之良受 山人夜多礼
あしひきの やまにゆきけむ やまびとの こころもしらず やまびとやたれ
| asipiki no yama ni yukikemu yamabito no kokoro mo shirazu yamabito ya tare | To the leg-wearying Mountains seeming to have gone An immortal’s Heart I cannot know, but Who might that immortal be? |
Original
あしひきのやまぢはあきぞまどひけるつもれるもみぢあとしなければ
| ashihiki no yamaji wa aki zo madoikeru tsumoreru momiji ato shinakereba | Leg-wearying Mountain paths in autumn Are lost, indeed! For piled with scarlet leaves Traces are their none… |
21
Left (Win)
もみぢばをたむけにつめるあきやまにみちみえずともたれかまどはむ
| momijiba o tamuke ni tsumeru akiyama ni michi miezu tomo tareka madowamu | Scarlet leaves are An offering made By the autumn mountains, so Though the path might go unseen, Who would lose their way? |
22
Right
あしひきのやまのもみぢしあかからばみちふみわけてたづぬばかりぞ
| ashihiki no yama no momiji shi akakaraba michi fumiwakete tazunu bakari zo | The leg-wearying Mountains’ scarlet leaves Are so bright, that Forging through along the paths To visit is all you need to do! |
23
