Heat Haze
しづけくて吹きくる風もなき空にみだれてあそぶいとぞみえける
| shizukekute fukikuru kaze mo naki sora ni midarete asobu ito zo miekeru | Even a gently Blowing breeze Is absent from the skies, where A playful tangled Thread of haze appears. |
Tadafusa
Tag Archives: Heat Haze
Eikyū hyakushu 31
Eikyū hyakushu 35
Eikyū hyakushu 34
Eikyū hyakushu 33
Eikyū hyakushu 30
Eikyū hyakushu 29
Spring II: 24
Left (Win).
くり返し春の糸ゆふ幾代へておなじ緑の空に見ゆらむ
| kurikaeshi haru no itoyū iku yo hete onaji midori no sora ni miyuramu |
Time and time again The threaded heat haze of spring, As uncounted ages pass, In identical azure Skies must appear… |
107
Right.
のどかなる夕日の空をながむれば薄紅に染むるいとゆふ
| nodokanaru yūhi no sora o nagamureba usukurenai ni somuru itoyū |
When on the tranquil Sunset sky I gaze, Pale crimson Stains the haze. |
108
Neither team has anything to say about the other’s poem this round.
Shunzei, however, says, ‘Although the expressions ‘time and time again’ (kurikaeshi) and ‘uncounted ages pass’ (iku yo hete) seem somewhat forced connections with ‘threaded’ (ito), the final section beginning ‘identical azure’ (onaji midori) is superb. The essence of the Right’s poem, of gazing at the sky at sunset with the threads of haze stained, is charming, but I wonder whether it would not have been better not to force the reference to sunset into the poem. ‘Azure skies’ must win.
Spring II: 23
Left (Win).
面影に千里をかけて見するかな春のひかりに遊ぶいとゆふ
| omokage ni chisato o kakete misuru kana haru no hikari ni asobu itoyū |
A vision from Across a thousand leagues Appears, In the spring sunlight Wavering ‘midst the haze. |
105
Right.
見わたせばあるかなきかに亂れつゝ心ぼそくも遊ぶいとゆふ
| miwataseba aru ka naki ka ni midaretsutsu kokorobosoku mo asobu itoyū |
When I look out Is it there, or not? Disordered and Forlorn, Wavering haze. |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
106
The Right say they have nothing particular to remark upon about the Left’s poem, but the Left wonder whether ‘forlorn’ (kokorobosoku mo) forms an appropriate linkage with the final line. (The point they are making is that in the original poem the final line starts asobu, which literally means ‘enjoy oneself’ or ‘play’, and thus ‘forlorn’ seems an incongruous prequel to it. In all the ‘Heat Haze’ poems I’ve translated asobu as ‘wavering’, as it’s use in this context is not for its sense, but as an addition piece of orthographic wordplay, as ‘heat haze’ (itoyū), is written with the characters for ‘threads’ (ito 糸) and ‘play’ (yū 遊).)
Shunzei’s judgement is: ‘One has to wonder about the suitability of the final line of the Right’s poem, as is the gist of the Left’s remarks; by contrast, the ending of the Left’s poems seems particularly good. It has to be the winner.’
Spring II: 22
Left (Win).
春來れば空に亂るゝいとゆふを一筋にやはありと頼まん
| haru kureba sora ni midaruru itoyū wo hito suji ni ya wa ari to tanoman |
When Spring is come, The sky is disarrayed by Heat haze, yet For it to be all that is – In that I cannot trust! |
103
Right.
春風のゝどかに吹けば青柳の枝もひとつに遊ぶ糸遊
| haru kaze no nodoka ni fukeba aoyanagi no eda mo hitotsu ni asobu itoyū |
When spring breezes Gently blow Fresh willow Fronds as one are Wavering hazes… |
104
Both teams find no particular faults with the other’s poems.
Shunzei, however, comments, ‘Both poems are excellent in appearance, but the Left has ‘The sky is disarrayed’ (sora ni midaruru). The Right is ‘Fresh willow fronds as one’ (aoyanagi no eda mo hitotsu ni asobu): does this not suggest that haze wavers only in the vicinity of willows? The Left must win.’