Former Emperor Yōzei, on the 15th day of the Ninth Month, when it fell upon the day of Elder Brother-Metal Monkey, held a poetry match of the Left and Right with his eldest son’s daughters, the First Princess and the Second Princess, as the leaders of the two teams, composing poems in response to prior poems on the conception of the end of autumn.
Original
つきかげのやましたまでにさやけきはよるももみぢのいろをみよとや
tsukikage no yamashita made ni sayakeki wa yoru mo momiji no iro o miyo to ya
The moonlight To the mountains’ foot Is clear, so At night, too, the scarlet leaves’ Hues behold—I wonder if they say!
1
Left
もみぢせぬあきのやまべのあらばこそつきのひかりをたづねてもみめ
momiji senu aki no yamabe no araba koso tsuki no hikari o tazunete mo miyu
Should scarlet leaves be not Upon the autumn mountainside Then, surely, still The moon’s light Would I visit to see.
itodoshiku teri koso masare momijiba ni hikage utsurou ama no kagoyama
All the more Brightly do shine The scarlet leaves Reflecting the sunshine On heavenly Mount Kago!
Minor Captain Lord Kin’nori, Fourth Rank 7
Right
天の原時雨にくもるけふしもぞ紅葉の色はてりまさりける
ama no hara shigure ni kumoru kyō shimo zo momiji no iro wa terimasarikeru
The plain of heaven is Clouded with showers, but Today for certain The hues of the scarlet leaves Shine most bright.
The Daughter of His Excellency, the Head 8
Considering the Left’s ‘Reflecting the sunshine / On heavenly Mount Kago’ about scarlet leaves reflecting the sun’s light, gives me the feeling that this must be a mistaken reference to the garlands of scarlet clubmoss worn by minor officiants at the Great Thanksgiving Service. In addition, among all of the many mountains in various places whose leaves turn scarlet, it seems something of a stretch to go so far as to mention Heavenly Mount Kago, considering it is an archaic expression found in the Collection of a Myriad Leaves, among other places. The Right’s ‘Clouded with showers, but / Today for certain’ is an expression perfectly in tune with the topic, making one wonder whether the leaves’ hue is the result of single drenching which has dyed them superbly.
asagiri no hareyuku mama ni momijiba wa akanesashite zo iro masarikeru
As the morning mists Are clearing away The autumn leaves Shine madder red, Their hue the best of all.
Daishin 5
Right
月草の色どる比はかへれどもははそのもみぢこころにぞしむ
tsukikusa no irodoru koro wa kaeredomo hahaso no momiji kokoro ni zo shimu
At times the moon-grass’ Fair hues Will shift, yet those of The oaks in autumn Pierce right to the heart!
His Excellency Akinaka 6
The Left poem’s sequencing isn’t bad, but ‘shining madder red’ has, since ancient times, been used of the sun in poetry, while here it is simply ‘Shine madder red, / Their hue the best of all’. It gives the impression that there is some emotion missing. In a poem for this type of poetry match, I wonder if omitting a single element like this is a grave fault? Even so, I have no recollection of a poem being composed in this manner in any poetry match which people have used for reference from days gone by. In addition, the Right’s ‘At times the moon-grass’ / Fair hues / Will shift, yet’ and what follows shows little evidence of poetic cultivation, so in sum, it’s difficult to say anything here.
aki sugite hanazakari naru kiku no hana iro ni taguite aki ya kaereru
Autumn is past and The flowers richly blooming are Chrysanthemums: With their hues Autumn does return!
Korenori 3
なみとのみうちこそみゆれすみのえのきしにのこれるしらぎくのはな
nami to nomi uchi koso miyure suminoe no kishi ni nokoreru shiragiku no hana
Simply as waves Do they, indeed, appear! At Suminoe Lingering on the shore White chrysanthemum blooms.
Korenori 4
わぎもこがひもゆふぐれのきくなればあかずぞはなのいろはみえける
wagimoko ga hi mo yūgure no kiku nareba akazu zo hana no iro wa miekeru
My darling girl Both day and eve is As a chrysanthemum, so Never sated am I with this flower’s Hues I see.
Korenori 5
きくのはなふゆののかぜにちりもせでけふまでとてやしもはおくらん
kiku no hana fuyu no kaze ni chiri mo sede kyō made tote ya shimo wa okuran
Chrysanthemum blooms In the winter wind Scatter not; Is it that up to today is when Frost is said to fall?
Korenori 6
かげさへやこよひはにほふきくのはなあまてるつきにかのそはるらん
kage sae ya koyoi wa niou kiku no hana ama teru tsuki ni ka no sowaruran
Even their shape Fills tonight with a scented glow; Chrysanthemum blooms To the heaven-shining moon Seem to add their fragrance.
Korenori 7
[i] Fujiwara no Suetada/Suenawa 藤原季縄 (?-919). Little is known of Suetada’s life, other than that he was apparently close to Ise 伊勢 and exchanged poems with her. The circumstances of his death, however, are recorded in Yamato monogatari, which relates that he fell ill in Engi 19 (919) when he held the position of Minor Captain in the Inner Palace Guards, Right Division (Ukonoe shōshō右近衛少将). On a day when he was due to be in attendance at the palace, he sent a message to Minamoto no Kintada 源公忠 (889-948), a Chamberlain and the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Housekeeping, to say that illness prevented his being there. Kintada replied that he should attend without fail on the day after tomorrow, but when that day came, Suetada sent him the following poem:
くやしくぞ のちにあはむと 契りける 今日をかぎりと 言はましものを
kuyashiku zo nochi ni awamu to chigirikeru kyō o kagiri to iwamashi mono o
I am struck with bitterness! Once more would we meet Did I vow, but Today I meet my end— That is what I would say…
SKKS VIII: 854
Concerned, Kintada ordered up a carriage and went immediately to Suetada’s residence, only to find he had died before he arrived. Greatly downcast, he returned to the palace and reported Suetada’s death to the emperor.
shitaba ni wa iro naru tama ya kudakuramu kaze no fukishiku hagi no ue no tsuyu
From the underleaves Hues have the gemlets taken In their shattering? Spread by the gusting wind Are the dewdrops on the bush clover…
A Court Lady 49
Right (Win)
又やみむ又や見ざらん白露の玉おきしける秋萩の花
mata ya mimu mata ya mizaran shiratsuyu no tama okishikeru akihagi no hana
Will I see again, or Will I not Silver dewdrop Pearls spread upon The autumn bush clover blooms?
Ietaka 50
The Left’s poem does not seem to have a particularly superlative style. The Right’s poem, saying ‘will I see again, or will I not silver dewdrops’ is particularly charming and moving. Thus, it wins.
