A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Dowager Empress during the Reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
春雨の色はこしともみえなくに野べのみどりをいかでそむらん
| harusame no iro wa koshi tomo mienaku ni nobe no midori o ikade somuran | The spring rain’s Hue no great depths Does seem to have, but How are the meadows with green So deeply dyed? |
Ki no Tomonori
しぐれの雨木の葉ばかりを染めくればかづきし袖は色もかはらず
| shigure no ame ko no ha bakari o somekureba kazukishi sode wa iro mo kawarazu | Showers of rain Simply, the trees’ leaves Do dye, so My drenched sleeves Hue remains unchanged. |
Ryūgen
Old Folk 老人
くろかみも色かはりゆきみる人のいとふばかりにおいにけるかな
| kurokami mo iro kawariyuki miru hito no itou bakari ni oinikeru kana | My raven tresses’ Hue has changed with the snow, and Folk who see Simply avoid me with distaste – Such is having grown old! |
Daishin
Coming of Age 元服
むらさきのやしほの色をもどかねどいつもとゆひをゆひ初むるかな
| murasaki no yashio no iro o modokanedo itsu motoyui o yuihajimuru kana | This violet Deeply dipped hue I cannot fault, yet When will a topknot First be tied, I wonder! |
Tadafusa
Grieving that he had grown old, while seated beneath the cherry blossoms.
色も香もおなじ昔にさくらめど年ふる人ぞあらたまりける
| iro mo ka mo onadi mukasi ni sakuramedo tosi Furu Fito zo aratamarikeru | In both hue and scent Just as in days long gone Do they seem to bloom, yet A man with years laid upon him Has changed beyond all measure. |
Ki no Tomonori
Left (Win)
からあひの八入の衣色深くなどあながちにつらき心ぞ
| kara’ai no yashio no koromo iro fukaku nado anagachi ni tsuraki kokoro zo |
Deepest indigo Dipped many times, my robe’s Hue is dark, indeed; Why, with such heartless Cruelty am I treated… |
Lord Suetsune
1127
Right
衣衣にうつりし色はあだなれど心ぞ深き忍ぶもぢずり
| kinuginu ni utsurishi iro wa ada naredo kokoro zo fukaki shinobu mojizuri |
My robe’s Hues have shifted; Faithless is she, yet My heart’s depths Are stained with fern-patterned longing… |
Lord Takanobu
1128
The Right state: we wonder whether ‘deepest indigo dipped many times’ (kara’ai no yashio) should not be scarlet. How dark would the colour be then? In response: there is no possibility of interpreting this as scarlet. We have used deep indigo, so what is there to criticise in then using dark? The Left state: while we understand the conception of the poem, we feel the expression is somewhat lacking. ‘My heart’s depths are stained with secret longing’ (kokoro zo fukaki shinobu mojizuri) does not link well with the initial part of the poem.
In judgement: the Left’s initial ‘deepest indigo’ (kara’ai) certainly sounds elegant, and there is no reason to make it scarlet. I also see no reason to fault the use of dark, either. As for the Right, it does not sound as if ‘stained with fern-patterned longing’ (shinobu mojizuri) links with the remainder of the poem – from the beginning to ‘my heart’s depths’ (kokoro zo fukaki). The final ‘stained with fern-patterned longing’ seems to appear abruptly. Deepest indigo should win.
Left (Tie)
恋そめし思ひの妻の色ぞそれ見にしむ春の花の衣手
| koisomeshi omoi no tsuma no iro zo sore mi ni shimu haru no hana no koromode |
The first flush of love’s Scarlet passion for her: A hue that Stains the flesh, as spring’s Blossoms do the sleeves… |
Lord Sada’ie
1123
Right
飽かざりしそのうつり香は唐衣恋をすすむる妻にぞ有りける
| akazarishi sono utsurika wa karakoromo koi o susumuru tsuma ni zo arikeru |
I cannot get enough of Her scent transferred to My Cathay robe: Love for her begins With a skirt! |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
1124
The Right state: both the conception and diction of the Left’s poem are unclear. The Left state: the Right’s poem, in addition to being commonplace, has ‘begins’ (susumuru) which is unimpressive.
In judgement: in the Left’s poem, while ‘blossoms do the sleeves’ (hana no koromode) is evocative, ‘a hue that’ (iro zo sore) is certainly extremely difficult to understand. In the Right’s poem, both ‘Cathay robe’ (karakoromo) and ‘with a skirt’ (tsuma ni zo arikeru) seem elegant, but I wonder about the impression of ‘her scent transferred’ (sono utsurika) and ‘begins’. It is unclear which poem is superior or inferior, so the round should tie.
Brushwood
時雨つつふく山かぜに椎しばの枝はなびけど色はかはらず
| shiguretsutsu fuku yama kaze ni shiishiba no eda wa nabikedo iro wa kawarazu | Showers mixed with Gusting mountain winds The brushwood Branches bend down yet They show no change of hue. |
Minamoto no Kanemasa
源兼昌
Topic unknown.
宮城野の萩や雄鹿の妻ならん花咲きしより声の色なる
| miyagino no Fagi ya wosika no tuma naran Fana sakisi yori kowe no iro naru |
On Miyagi plain Has the bush clover the stag’s Bride become? For since the blossom bloomed His cry takes on its passionate hue. |
Fujiwara no Mototoshi
藤原基俊