Topic unknown.
梅が枝の花にこつたふ鶯の声さへにほふ春の曙
| mume ga e no Fana ni ko tutaFu uguFisu no kowe saFe niFoFu Faru no akebono | A branch of plum Blossom tells me this: The bush-warbler’s Very voice does shine at The dawn in springtime. |
Cloistered Prince Shukaku
Tag Archives: bush warbler
Fubokushō II: 519
Spring III: 28
Left (Tie).
木のもとは日數ばかりをにほひにて花も殘らぬ春の山里
| ko no moto wa hikazu bakari o nioi nite hana mo nokoranu haru no yamazato |
Beneath the trees Just a few days’ Of scented shade; No blossoms remaining Round my mountain home… |
175
Right (Tie).
鶯の花のねくらば荒れにけり古巣にいまや思ひ立つらん
| uguisu no hana no nekuraba arenikeri furusu ni ima ya omoitatsuran |
The warbler Found his roost among the blooms – All grown to ruin now; An abandoned nest, now, Is all they do recall… |
176
Neither team has any criticism to make of the other’s poem.
Shunzei states, ‘Although the Right’s poem has a somewhat old-fashioned air about it [sukoshi furite zo mie], both poems are superb in form [utazama wa tomo ni yū], and thus the round should tie.’
Spring III: 26
Left (Win).
花もみな散りぬる春は鶯の鳴く音ばかりにとまるなりけり
| hana mo mina chirinuru haru wa uguisu no naku ne bakari ni tomaru narikeri |
Every blossom Fallen: of spring The warbler’s Song, alone, Remains. |
171
Right.
鶯も思かねたる聲すなりあすばかりなる春を恨みて
| uguisu mo omoikanetaru koesu nari asu bakarinaru haru o uramite |
The warbler, too, Unable to endure Lifts his voice in song; That tomorrow alone Is left of spring, he bitterly resents. |
172
The Right suggest that the Left’s poem, ‘appears to have a great deal in common with the poem on the “dwelling does it seem,indeed!”’.
The Left indicate they have nothing to remark on in the Right’s poem.
Shunzei agrees with the Right, up to a point, ‘The beginning of the Left’s poem does, indeed, as the gentlemen of the Right say, recall the “dwelling” (Furusato), but its final section is truly marvellous. Simply ending with “spring, he bitterly resents” (haru o uramite), as does the Right’s poem, is worse than the Left’s old-fashioned beginning.’
Spring III: 1
Left (Tie).
鶯の百囀りを幾かへりながき春日に鳴きくらすらん
| uguisu no momo saezuri o iku kaeri nagaki haru hi ni nakikurasuran |
The warblers’ Multitude of twitters Goes round, and round again; The long, late days of spring, Do they spend in song? |
121
Right (Tie).
雲の上に鶴の諸聲をとづれてあはれのどけき春のけふ哉
| kumo no ue ni tsuru no morogoe otozurete aware nodokeki haru no kyō kana |
By the clound borne palace The choir of cranes Gives song; O, how peaceful is Today, in springtime! |
122
Neither team can find any particular fault with the other’s poem this round.
Shunzei says, ‘Both poems are on “lengthening days”, and both – the Left’s “warblers’ multitude of twitters” (uguisu no momo saezuri) and the Right’s “choir of cranes” (tsuru no morogoe) – have a tranquil air and sound excellent. Again, I must make them a tie.’
Spring II: 28
Left.
霞かは花鶯にとぢられて春にこもれる宿の明ぼの
| kasumi ka wa hana uguisu ni tojirarete haru ni komoreru yado no akebono |
Is this haze? No, in blossom and warbler song Am I sealed; Shut in by springtime Is my home this dawn. |
115
Right (Win).
霞立つ末の松山ほのぼのと浪にはなるゝ橫雲の空
| kasumi tatsu sue no matsuyama honobono to nami ni hanaruru yokogumo no sora |
The hazes rise Around the pine-clad peak of Sué; Dimly Departing from the waves, Narrow clouds trail across the sky. |
116
The Right team have no particular remarks to make about the Left’s poem this round, but the Left state that the Right’s poem is ‘most satisfying.’
Shunzei’s judgement is: ‘The Left’s “Is this haze?” (kasumi ka wa) seems like it wants to be “Is this just haze?” (kasumi nomi ka wa). “In blossom and warbler song am I sealed” (hana uguisu ni tojirarete) and “my home this dawn” (yado no akebono) remind one of “the lofty palace of Shinsei stands behind warblers and blossom” and this is excellent. As for the Right’s poem, this is particularly moving, with its depiction of the scene “departing from the waves, narrow clouds trail across the sky” (nami ni hanaruru yokogumo no sora), recalling “the pine-clad peak of Sué” (sue no matsuyama). The poem does start with “hazes rise” (kasumi tatsu) and having “haze” (kasumi), “wave” (nami) and “cloud” (kumo) means the poem is somewhat overburdened with similar imagery. “Narrow clouds trail across the sky”, though, does make a particularly strong impression, and the Left’s poem is merely satisfying, as has been said. Thus, “my home this dawn” must lose, I think.’
Spring II: 6
Left (Tie)
みな人の春の心のかよひ來てなれぬる野邊の花の陰哉
| mina hito no haru no kokoro no kayoikite narenuru nobe no hana no kage kana |
Everyone who Loves the springtime Come to These familiar fields and rest ‘Neath the blossoms’ shade! |
71
Right (Tie)
思ふどちそこともいはず行暮ぬ花の宿かせ野邊の鶯
| omoudochi soko tomo iwazu yukikurenu hana no yado kase nobe no uguisu |
My friends, Heedless of our place Has darkness fallen: Lend us your lodging ‘mongst the blooms, O, warbler, in the fields! |
72
Neither side has any comments to make about these two poems.
Shunzei says both poems possess a ‘scintillating beauty’, but wonders whether the Right’s hasn’t borrowed too heavily from the Monk Sosei’s poem:
Composed as a Spring Poem
おもふどち春の山邊に打群れてそこともいはぬ旅寢してしか
| omoFudoti Faru no yamabe ni utimurete soko tomo iFanu tabine sitesika |
My friends, In springtime in the mountain meadows Did we gather, Heedless of our place, Wanted we to sleep out on our trip! |
KKS II: 126
However, using the variation to borrow lodging from a warbler is, indeed, ‘scintillating’ and neither poems ‘sounds the least bit old-fashioned’. Hence, the round must be a tie.
Spring I: 16
Left (Tie).
春風に池の氷や解けぬらん待たれぬ浪の花を見る哉
| haru kaze ni ike no kôri ya tokenuran matarenu nami no hana o miru kana |
In the breath of spring Will the ice upon the pond Melt? Unanticipated blossom touched Waves come into view… |
31
Right (Tie).
鶯のなみだのつらゝ聲ながらたよりにさそへ春の山水
| uguisu no namida no tsurara koe nagara tayori ni sasoe haru no yama mizu |
The bush warbler’s Tears of ice, And song, Issue an invitation! To the mountain waters this springtime… |
32
The Right team have no comments to make about the Left’s poem this round, but the Left wonder whether the essence of the poem, of the warbler’s ‘tears of ice’ and song inviting the waters, might not be a bit much?
Shunzei remarks that the form and phrasing of the Left’s poem is ‘certainly charming’, and echoes their criticism of the Right’s poem, as having an ‘impossible essence’. He then goes on to say, ‘The Left is placidly charming; the Right’s essence must be excessive. They are equivalent and I judge this round a tie.’
Sanekata Shū 109
My reply:
うぐひすの古巣といはば雁がねのかへるつらにや思ひなさまし
| uguFisu no Furusu to iFaba kari ga ne no kaFeru tura ni ya omoFinasamasi |
A warbler’s Accustomed nest, do you say? Of a goose calling From his homeward flight I would have you think! |