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うき人の月はなにぞのゆかりぞとおもひながらもうちながめつつ
| ukibito no tsuki wa nani zo no yukari zo to omoinagara mo uchinagamitsutsu | That cruel one: Why with the moon does She have a bond?— While wondering that Do I ever gaze upon it… |
The Gotokudaiji Minister of the Left
From among his love poems.
ちぎりありてかかる思ひやつくばねのみねども人のやがて恋しき
| chigiri arite kakaru omoi ya tsukubane no minedomo hito no yagate koishiki | Do we have a bond, that Arouses such passions? Though As the peak of Tsukuba I see her not, yet am Filled with constant longing. |
Supernumerary Major Counsellor Kin’kage
Left (Tie)
舟のうちにさしも浮きたる契までうらやむ程のえにこそ有けれ
| fune no uchi ni sashimo ukitaru chigiri made urayamu hodo no e ni koso arikere | Within a boat Such a brief Bond is formed; yet Do I envy it, I really do! |
Lord Ari’ie
1147
Right
その人と分きて待つらん妻よりもあはれは深き浪の上哉
| sono hito to wakite matsuran tsuma yori mo aware wa fukaki nami no ue kana | There is her, and My waiting Wife: Far fonder am I Upon the waves! |
Nobusada
1148
Left and Right state: neither has any fault.
In judgement: the configuration and diction of both poems sounds pleasant. I must make this a tie.
Left
うき舟に一夜ばかりの契だになどありがたき我身なるらむ
| ukifune ni hitoyo bakari no chigiri dani nado arigataki wa ga mi naruramu | In a drifting boat A single night’s Brief bond – even that: Why so rarely Do I get it? |
Lord Suetsune
1145
Right (Win)
誰となきうき寢を忍ぶ海人の子も思へば淺き恨み也けり
| tare to naki ukine o shinobu ama no ko mo omoeba asaki urami narikeri | Knowing not with whom She’ll briefly sleep, and regret Is my diving girl: But considering, little Will it trouble her! |
Ietaka
1146
The Right state: ‘drifting boat’ (ukifune) fails to link properly with ‘single night’ (hitoyo). The Left state: although ‘diving girl’ (ama no ko) is used in the source poem in the section on pleasure girls in the Collection of Poems to Sing, we wonder about the appropriateness of simply using it to mean pleasure girl.
In judgement: there is no need to critique whether or not ‘drifting boat’ links with ‘single night’. In the final section ‘why so rarely’ (nado arigataki), though, makes me wonder why this should be the case! On the matter of the Right’s use of ‘diving girl’, our predecessors, including Lord Kintō, have provided poems on pleasure girls in the Collection of Poems to Sing, and who, indeed, would not utilize this? Furthermore, ‘knowing not with whom she’ll briefly sleep, and regret’ (tare to naki ukine o shinobu) certainly sounds like a pleasure girl! Thus, the Right must win over a pleasure girl finding it hard to get custom.
Left (Win)
つらからん中こそあらめ萩原やした松蟲の聲をだに問へ
| tsurakaran naka koso arame hagiwara ya shita matsumushi no koe o dani toe |
Cold will Our bond, no doubt, become, but Among the bush clover Eagerly awaiting, the bell-cricket’s Call is all that I would ask… |
A Servant Girl
1077
Right
夜もすがら人まつ蟲の鳴く聲を我身の上によそへてぞ聞く
| yo mo sugara hito matsu mushi no naku koe o wa ga mi no ue ni yosoete zo kiku |
All through the night A cricket pines – The song it sings Upon myself does Seem to dwell – or so it sounds… |
Lord Tsune’ie
1078
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we have no reason to mention any faults in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem is pedestrian.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘bell crickets’, with the Left saying, ‘our bond, no doubt, become’ (naka koso arame), then ‘call is all that I would ask’ (koe o dani toe), and ‘eagerly awaiting, the bell cricket’ (shita matsumushi) – all of these are extremely difficult to grasp, however, the Right’s poem is pointlessly pedestrian. So, the Left wins.
Left (Win)
うらやまず臥す猪の床はやすくとも歎も形見寢ぬも契りを
| urayamazu fusu i no toko wa yasukutomo nageku mo katami nenu mo chigiri o |
I do not envy The boar lounging in his bed: He may be at ease, yet Grief, too, is a memento; Lying sleepless marks our bond… |
Lord Sada’ie
1061
Right
いかにわれ臥す猪の床に身をかへて夢の程だに契結はん
| ika ni ware fusu i no toko ni mi o kaete yume no hodo dani chigiri musuban |
Somehow I To a boar lounging in his bed Would change myself, and For just a brief dream’s length Would form a bond with you… |
Lord Takanobu
1062
The Gentlemen of the Right state: the initial line of the Left’s poem sounds poor. The sense of the ending, too, is difficult to grasp. The Gentlemen of the Left state: we wonder about the appropriateness of changing oneself into a bed.
In judgement: both Left and Right refer to ‘a boar lounging in his bed’ (fusu i no toko), and it has been mentioned that the initial line of the Left’s poem sounds poor, and that its ending is difficult to grasp. There really are a number of unacceptable aspects to this poem, are there not, so I cannot add any further words to what has been said. The Right’s poem is not suggesting that one change oneself into a bed. It is saying that one should briefly become a boar, that one might dream briefly of love. How can one possibly see the dream of a boar lying asleep? It certainly seems inferior to ‘not envying a lounging boar’.
Left (Tie).
吉野河はやき流れを堰く岩のつれなき中に身を砕くらん
| yoshinogawa hayaki nagare o seku iwa no tsurenaki naka ni mi o kudakuran |
The River Yoshino’s Swift flow is Dammed by boulders; With the chilling of our bond It seems my very self will shatter… |
A Servant Girl
995
Right.
ありとても逢はぬためしの名取川朽ちだにはてよ瀬せの埋れ木
| ari tote mo awanu tameshi no natorigawa kuchi dani hateyo sese no mumoregi |
We live, yet Cannot meet – our situation A source of rumours; in the River Natori Let all rot away with The drowned trees in the rapids! |
Jakuren.
996
Both Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: both poems are extremely good. This is a tie of quality.
Left (Win).
悲しきは境異なる中として亡き玉までもよそに浮かれん
| kanashiki wa sakai kotonaru naka to shite naki tama made mo yoso ni ukaren |
How sad it is: Beyond the borders of this life Should our bond endure Even your departed soul So distant, would I trail after… |
Lord Sada’ie
873
Right.
忘れずよ幾雲井とは知らねども空行月の契ばかりは
| wasurezu yo iku kumoi to wa shiranedomo sora yuku tsuki no chigiri bakari wa |
I will not forget! How far beyond the clouds you are I know not, yet As the moon across the skies, Is my simple vow to you… |
Jakuren
874
Left and Right: no faults to mention.
In judgement: although the Left’s poem sounds a little over-familiar, it certainly does have conception. The Right’s poem does sound smooth, but the origin poem has ‘Forget me not’ (wasuru na yo) – and this has ‘I will not forget’ (wasurezu yo) – the origin poem has ‘for distant as the clouds’ (hodo wa kumoi ni) – and this has ‘how far beyond the clouds’ (iku kumoi to wa); and ‘as the moon across the skies’ (sora yuku tsuki no) is identical, so the only part which as been changed is ‘I shall return – ‘til then’ (meguri au made). It is only to be expected that it would sound good, given that it presents much of the same material in the same order. The Left should win.