Tag Archives: blossoms

Entō ōn’uta’awase 14

Round Fourteen

Left (Win)

ちりちらず花より外の色ぞなきかさなる山の嶺の春風

chiri chirazu
hana yori hoka no
iro zo naki
kasanaru yama no
mine no harukaze
Scattered, or not,
Other than the blossoms’
Hues are there none
Layered upon the mountain
Peaks by the breeze in springtime.[1]

Shō
27

Right

かづらきやたかまの山はうづもれて空に棚引く春のしら雲

kazuragi ya
takama no yama wa
uzumorete
sora ni tanabiku
haru no shirakumo
In Kazuragi
Takama Mountain
Is buried by
Trailing across the skies
Clouds of white in springtime.

Nagatsuna
28

The Left’s poem appears fine. The Right’s poem, having ‘Takama Mountain is buried’ is both pretentious and does not link to anything. The Left must win.


[1] An allusive variation on: On a folding screen for the Kamo Virgin, for the place showing people going along a mountain path. ちりちらずきかまほしきをふるさとの花見て帰る人もあはなん chiri chirazu / kikamahoshiki o / furusato no / hana mitekaeru / hito mo awanan ‘Are they scattered, or not, is / What I would ask, but / The ancient estate’s / Blossom having seen and returned— / Those folk I would have you meet.’ Ise (SIS I: 49)

Kinkai wakashū 74

Composed for a folding screen with a picture of cherry trees blooming in the middle of the mountains.

山ざくらちらばをらなんをしげなみよしや人みず花のなたてに

yamazakura
chiraba oranan
oshigenami
yoshi ya hito mizu
hana no na tate ni
O, mountain cherry!
If you scatter, then do it
Without regret, for,
Well, even should folk not see
Your blossoms’ fame will spread still!
A kuzushiji version of the poem's text.

Entō ōn’uta’awase 9

Mountain Cherries

Round Nine

Left (Tie)

人心うつりはてぬる花の色に昔ながらの山の名もをし

hitogokoro
utsurihatenuru
hana no iro ni
mukashi nagara no
yama no na mo oshi
As a human heart
All faded are
The blossoms’ hues upon
Ever unchanged Nagara
Mountain—even its name brings regret.[1]

A Court Lady
17

Right

なぞもかく思ひそめけむ桜花やまとしたかく成りはつるまで

nazo mo kaku
omoisomekemu
sakurabana
yama toshi takaku
narihatsuru made
Why is it that I seem so
Absorbed in thought of
Cherry blossom that
The mountain higher
Has grown? [2]

Lord Ietaka
18

The Right’s poem mentioning ‘Grief as hard as felling trees upon a mountain higher’ has charming diction. As for the Left’s poem, while I have heard it strongly stated that using a ‘human heart’ is not diction that should be composed with these days, as this is not a poem for public circulation, for the moment I make this a tie.


[1] An allusive variation on KKS XV: 797.

[2] An allusive variation on KKS XIX: 1056.

SZS I: 74

Composed as a poem on blossom, when he held a poetry match.

をはつせの花のさかりをみわたせばかすみにまがふみねのしら雲

woFatuse no
Fana no sakari wo
miwataseba
kasumi ni magaFu
ne no sirakumo
When at Hatsuse
Across the blossoms’ profusion
I cast my gaze
Entangled in haze are
The clouds of white upon the peak.

Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazai, Shige’ie

A kuzushiji version of the poem's text.
Created with Soan.

Heike monogatari 76

Third Rank Lay Priest [Minamoto no Yorimasa] summoned his retainer, Watanabe Chōjitsu.

‘Take my head,’ he ordered, but overcome with the sorrow of taking his master’s life, Chōjitsu cried, overcome with tears, ‘Such a service is unthinkable. I would only dare to do it afterwards, should my Lord take his own life.’

‘I see,’ Yorimasa replied, then faced the west and chanted the name of Amida Buddha ten times in a loud voice, before reciting:

埋木の花さく事も無かりしにみのなるはてぞ哀なりける

umoregi no
hana saku koto mo
nakarishi ni
mi no naru hate zo
aware narikeru
On a drowned tree
Blossoms flower
Not a one—
To reach the end of life
Is sad, indeed!

With these as his last words, he ran the tip of his great sword through his belly, collapsing over it and died. At such a time, one would not normally be able to compose a poem, but Yorimasa had loved the Way of Waka extravagantly since he was young, so at the last he did not forget it.

Teiji-in uta’awase 20

Left (Tie)

はなみつつをしむかひなくけふくれてほかのはるとやあすはなりなむ

hana mitsutsu
oshimu kainaku
kyō kurete
hoka no haru to ya
asu wa narinamu
Ever do I gaze upon the blossom, in
Vain regret, for
Today will end and
A different spring will
Greet me on the morrow!

Mitsune
39

Right

けふのみとはるをおもはぬときだにもたつことやすきはなのかげかは

kyō nomi to
haru o omowanu
toki dani mo
tatsu koto ya suki
hana no kage ka wa
“Only today is left
Of spring”—I’ll not think that for
Even at such a time,
Is it easy to part from
The blossoms’ shade?

Mitsune
40[i]

‘Both of these are charming,’—they tied.


[i] This poem is included as the final spring poem in Kokinshū (II: 134), attributed to Mitsune, and with the headnote, ‘A poem on the end of spring from the Poetry Contest held by Former Emperor Uda’.

Teiji-in uta’awase 17

Left (Tie)

かけてのみみつつぞしのぶむらさきにいくしほそめしふぢのはなぞも

kakete nomi
mitsutsu zo shinobu
murasaki ni
iku shiosomeshi
fuji no hana zo mo
Hanging there do I
Ever gaze with wonder on
Their violet hues—
How many dippings dyed
The wisteria blossom so?

Mitsune
33

Right

みなそこにしづめるはなのかげみればはるのふかくもなりにけるかな

minasoko ni
shizumeru hana no
kage mireba
haru no fukaku mo
narinikeru kana
When in the water’s depths
Sunken blossoms’
Shapes I see,
How deep the springtime
Has become!

Korenori
34

Teiji-in uta’awase 14

Left

さはみづにかはづなくなりやまぶきのうつろふいろやそこにみゆらむ

sawamizu ni
kawazu nakunari
yamabuki no
utsurou iro ya
soko ni miyuramu
Among the marsh waters
The frogs are crying;
The kerria’s
Fading hues—might
They see them below the surface there?

27

Right (Win)

ちりてゆくかたをだにみむはるがすみはなのあたりはたちもさらなむ

chiriteyuku
kata o dani mimu
harugasumi
hana no atari wa
tachi mo sara namu
Scattering off
If only I might see them, but
The spring haze
Around the blossoms is
Already rising!

28

Teiji-in uta’awase 12

Left (Tie)

うつつにはさらにもいはじさくらばなゆめにもちるとみえばうからむ

utsutsu ni wa
sara ni mo iwaji
sakurabana
yume ni mo chiru to
mieba ukaramu
In the waking world
There is nothing more I might say,
O, cherry blossom!
You scattering through my dreams—
How I would hate to see it!

Mitsune
23

Right

はなのいろをうつしとどめよかがみやまはるよりのちにかげやみゆると

hana no iro o
utsushi to tomeyo
kagamiyama
haru yori nochi ni
kage ya miyuru to
The blossoms’ hues’
Reflection: hold it,
Mirror Mountain!
That after the springtime’s gone
I might see their shades.

Korenori
24[i]


[i] This poem is included in Shūishū (I: 73), attributed to Korenori, with the headnote, ‘From Former Emperor Uda’s Poetry Contest.’