The following poems were not matched. They are poems composed with the syllables of the word ominaeshi (‘maidenflower’) at the beginning and end of each line.
をるはなをむなしくなさむなををしなでふにもなしてしひやとめまし
oru hana o munashiku nasamu na o oshi na jō ni mo nashite shii ya tomemashi
A flower picked, Will be pointless— Not to be left with that vain regret Should I press it in paper And force it to linger here?
23
をるひとをみなうらめしみなげくかなてるひにあててしもにおかせじ
oru hito o mina urameshimi nageku kana teru hi ni atete shimo ni okaseji
Those who plucked you, I hate them so, and Grieve, for I would you stand in the shining sun, and Be untouched by frost.
The Right remark that the Left’s poem, ‘seems overly humorous’ [tawabure ni nitari]. The Left counter by wondering, ‘Whether it really is possible to separate flower and scent?’
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem, even though it has a ‘flower’s heart’ (hanagokoro) ‘changing’ (utsurou), seems to lack the conception of a poem on ‘lingering chrysanthumums’ [zangiku no kokoro sukunaku kikoyuru ni ya]. As for the Right’s poem, although it is true that flower and scent are not separate, there are poems composed on plum blossom, such as ‘The plum blossoms’/Scent, disturbingly,/Clings to my sleeves’ or ‘Leave behind your scent, at least’, so ‘a trace of scent’ (nioi mo nochi wa) does not seem to be a fault. ‘Leave trailed behind’ (utsuroinokore), too, is not unpleasant [yoroshikarazaru ni arazu]. The Right should win.