The Names of the Buddhas
Round Nine
Left
あらはるる三世の仏の名を聞くにつもれる罪は霜と消えなむ
| arawaruru miyo no hotoke no na o kiku ni tsumoreru tsumi wa shimo to kienamu | The manifest Three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names I hear, and My accumulated sins seem to Vanish with the frost. |
Misaku 美作
17
Right
頼みみる三世の仏の名を聞けばつもれる罪もあらじとぞ思ふ
| tanomi miru miyo no hotoke no na o kikeba tsumoreru tsumi mo araji to zo omou | Hearing our pleas The three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names I hear, and Even my accumulated sins Seem to be gone, I feel. |
Shikibu 式部
18
A poem composed in winter in the Eleventh Month, by His Majesty, when the Major Controller of the Left, Prince Kazuragi, and others, were granted the name Tachibana.
橘は実さへ花さへその葉さへ枝に霜降れどいや常葉の木
| tatibana pa mi sape pana sape sono pa sape e ni simo puredo iya toko pa no ki |
O, orange tree: Fruit and flowers both, And leaves, too, Even should frost fall on your branches Evegreen will you be! |
The above poem was composed in winter, on the 9th day of the Eleventh Month, after Prince Kazuragi, Junior Third Rank, and Prince Sai, Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, among others, surrendered their membership of the imperial family and were granted the name of Tachibana. At that time Former Emperor [Genshō], the Emperor [Shōmu], and Empress [Kōmyō], were present in the Empress’ quarters, and hosted a banquet at which poems celebrating the name of Tachibana were composed, and sake was presented to the new members of the family. It is alternatively said, ‘This poem was composed by the Former Emperor. In addition, the Emperor and the Empress each composed a single poem. Those poems were lost and cannot now be located.’ If one seeks copies of the documents now, they say that on the 9th day of the Eleventh Month [Tenpyō] 8 [736], Prince Kazuragi and other submitted a request to the throne to be granted the name of Tachibana. On the 17th day the request was granted.