Love beneath the moon.
| wa ga sode ni oboezu tsuki zo yadorikeru tou hito araba ikaga kotaemu | Upon my sleeves, Unexpectedly, the moon Has taken lodging— Were he to come to call, How might I now respond? |
522
Tag Archives: hito
Eien narabō uta’awase 16
Round Two
Left (Win)
秋のよの月のひかりはかはらねどたびのそらこそあはれなりけれ
| aki no yo no tsuki no hikari wa kawaranedo tabi no sora koso aware narikeri | On an autumn night The moon’s light Is unchanged, yet The sky above me on my travels Is so very sad, indeed. |
Lord Saburō
31
Right
あきの夜はたのむる人もなきやどもありあけの月はなほぞまちいづる
| aki no yo wa tanomuru hito mo naki yado mo ariake no tsuki wa nao zo machi’izuru | On an autumn night With no man even expected At my house, It is the dawntime moon’s Appearance that, indeed, I have awaited. |
Ushigimi
32
The poem of the Left seems extremely well-trodden. It resembles a something sung as a popular song. As for the poem of the Right, ‘not…at my house’ is extraordinarily stilted, yet the poems are of the same quality, so I would say these tie.
The poem of the Left’s final ‘Is so very sad, indeed’ sounds pitiful and truly unskilled. The poem of the Right overemphasises ‘even’, and also appears to say that the dawntime moon is an element conveying a moving desolation. I wonder if this is appropriate for the topic of the ‘the moon’ in a poetry match? There needs to be a prior poem as precedent. It does say that the moon’s emergence after having waited for it is something precious, but the poem refers to the moon in the latter part of the month, after the twentieth day, doesn’t it? This would seem to be moving, for sure, but it’s something which doesn’t shed much light, so I would say that the Left wins.
Eien narabō uta’awase 15
The Moon
Round One
Left (Win)
いたまよりねざめのとこにもる月をこひしきひととおもはましかば
| itama yori nezame no toko ni moru tsuki o koishiki hito to omowamashikaba | Between the boards, Waking me in my bed Drips moonlight— The man I love If only it did more than bring to mind… |
Lord Dainagon
29
Right
くれはどりふたむらやまをきて見ればめもあやにこそ月も見えけれ
| kurehadori futamurayama o kite mireba me mo aya ni koso tsuki mo miekere | When the weave of twilight Upon Futamura Mountain One comes to see, Another pattern fills the eye— Bright moonlight. |
Lord Chūnagon
30
The poem of the Left has an extremely refined configuration, but is lacking much of a conception of the moon, and has a much greater one of love. The poem of the Right has a moving conception, but it is about scarlet leaves that one says ‘another pattern fills the eye’. There have been no compositions to date utilizing this about the moon. As both poems have dubious elements, I feel they are of the same quality.
I must say that the initial section of the poem of the Left, ‘between the boards’, is something that not even the poets of bygone days placed at the beginning of their poems. I would say that such expressions as ‘between the boards of a ruined house’ sound blended, implying that the appearance within is fine. Perhaps the poet mistook this? In addition, I do not feel that this is a moon poem, and would have to say that it’s a love one. It really is very odd, isn’t it—suddenly including a love poem here. The poem of the Right has nothing about it worth mentioning, yet it appears to be a moon poem superficially. There’s nothing for it but, faced with the poem of the Left, which beats the hastiest of hasty retreats and ignores the essential meaning of the topic, but to make it the winner!
Kinkai wakashū 518
Kinkai wakashū 517
Kinkai wakashū 516
Kinkai wakashū 513
On waiting for love through the years, when folk had composed poetry.[i]
故郷のあさぢが露にむすぼほれひとりなく虫の人をうらむる
| furusato no asaji ga tsuyu ni musubōre hitori naku mushi no hito o uramuru | At this ancient estate The cogon grass by dew Is held fast, as All alone a single insect cries, Hating that man… |
513
Tsurayuki uta’awase 09
Love
Left
秋萩におく白露の消えかへり人をこひしとおもふころかな
| akihagi ni oku shiratsuyu no kiekaeri hito o koishi to omou koro kana | In autumn upon the bush clover Fall silver dewdrops, Vanishing away, with Her I loved— My feelings in those days! |
17[i]
Right
寒き夜はさごろも雁の声きけばかへすがへすぞ人はこひしき
| samuki yo wa sagoromo kari no koe kikeba kaesugaesu zo hito wa koishiki | On a night so chill, In a scanty robe, when the goose Cries I hear, Again and yet again Do I long for her… |
18
[i] This poem is included in Shinshūishū (XII: 1011), with the headnote, ‘From the poetry match at Tsurayuki’s house’. A variant of it also appears in some Mandaishū (XV: 2458) texts; in others the version provided is as in the contest: From the poetry match held when Tsuryuki was in Suo province. 秋萩におく白露の澄みかへり人をこひしとおもふころかな aki hagi ni / oku shiratsuyu no / sumikaeri / hito o koishi to / omou koro kana ‘In autumn upon the bush-clover / Fall silver dewdrops / Ever clear / Her I loved— / My feelings in those days’.
