篝火のかげをうつして大堰川鵜舟くださぬよははあらじな
| kagaribi no kage o utsushite ōigawa ubune kudasanu yo wa araji na |
The torches’ Light reflects from The River Ōi: Cormorant boats do not drift downstream On no night at all… |
Tag Archives: kagaribi
Tametadake shodo hyakushu 237
鵜川には皐月の闇もなかりけりくだればくだす舟の篝火
| ukawa ni wa satsuki no yami mo nakarikeri kudareba kudasu fune no kagaribi |
To the cormorant river The Fifth Month’s dark Has not come; For when it falls, also do The boats’ torches! |
Shunzei
Tametadake shodo hyakushu 236
夏の日の暮れば灯す篝火の幾夜か川にかげ浮かぶらむ
| natsu no hi no kurureba tomosu kakaribi no ikuyo ka kawa ni kage ukaburamu |
When to summer days’ Dusk comes, kindled Torches, Every night upon the river Do seem to float their light. |
Fujiwara no Tametada (? – 1136)
藤原為忠
Tametadake shodo hyakushu 235
篝火の見えぬ夜ぞなき大堰川おなじ鵜舟やおりのぼるらむ
| kagaribi no mienu yo zo naki ōikawa onaji ubune ya orinoboruramu |
Torches Never go unseen at night On the River Ōi: Is it always the same cormorant boat That plies back and forth? |
Fujiwara no Tametada (? – 1136)
藤原為忠
Eikyū hyakushu 189
Cormorant Fishing on the River(鵜河)
大井河う舟にともすかがり火のかかる世にあふあゆぞはかなき
| ōigawa ubune ni tomosu kagaribi no kakaru se ni au ayu zo hakanaki | On the River Ōi The cormorant boats’ kindled Torches Reflect off the rushing rapids; What sorrow for the sweetfish! |
Daishin
Summer I: 24
Left (Win).
夜川たつ五月來ぬらし瀬瀬を尋め八十伴の男も篝さすはや
| yogawa tatsu satsuki kinurashi sese o tome yasotomo no o mo kagari sasu wa ya |
The night fishing Fifth Month has come, and to Rapid after rapid go Eighty gentlemen Bearing fishing fires… |
227
Right.
鵜飼舟高瀬さし越すほどなれやむすぼゝれゆく篝火の影
| ukaibune takase sashikosu hodo nare ya musubōreyuku kagaribi no kage |
The cormorant boats: O’er the risen rapids Will they pass this time? All in tangles are The lights of the fishing fires… |
228
The Right state simply that the Left’s poem is ‘grating on the ear’, and the Left are equally blunt: ‘It is unconvincing to state that fire tangles.’
Shunzei states, ‘“Night fishing” (yogawa tatsu) seems to me to be an extremely overblown expression. And, “All in tangles are the lights of the fishing fires” (musubōreyuku kagaribi no kage) – this is, indeed, something that can be seen when crossing rapids where the water is high. The Left’s poem is certainly unmelodious, however, having such a dichotomy between the beginning and end of a poem, as in the Right’s case is, I think, insupportable. Thus, for this reason, the Left should win, I think.
Summer I: 21
Left.
をちこちにながめやかはす鵜飼舟闇を光の篝火の影
| ochikochi ni nagame ya kawasu ukaibune yami o hikari no kagaribi no kage |
Near and far My gaze goes back and forth; Cormorant boats Light the darkness with Fishing-fires’ glow. |
221
Right (Win).
鵜飼舟あはれとぞ見るものゝふの八十宇治川の夕闇の空
| ukaibune aware to zo miru mononofu no yaso ujigawa no yūyami no sora |
The cormorant boats Seem so keen! Warriors, Eighty in all, on Uji River, Beneath the darkening evening sky… |
222
The Right comment that, ‘In the Left’s poem, “light the darkness” (yami o hikari) does not seem that elegant an expression,’ while the Left can find no fault with the Right’s poem.
Shunzei agrees: ‘“Light the darkness with fishing-fires’ glow” (yami o hikari no kagaribi no kage) does not seem particularly satisfactory in sense. The Right’s “Eighty in all, on Uji River, beneath the darkening evening sky” (yaso ujigawa no yūyami no sora) is especially fine. There is no question but that it wins.’
Summer I: 20
Left.
後の世を知らせがほにも篝火のこがれて過ぐる鵜飼舟哉
| nochi no yo o shirasegao ni mo kagaribi no kogarete suguru ukaibune kana |
The afterlife: Foretold by The fishing-fires, Ever blazing from The cormorant boats. |
219
Right (Win).
ますらおが夜川に立つる篝火に深きあはれをいかで見すらん
| masurao ga yo kawa ni tatsuru kagaribi ni fukaki aware o ikade misuran |
Stalwart men: Upon the night-time river Why do the fishing-fires Such deep sorrow Show? |
220
Again, neither team has any criticisms to make this round.
Shunzei states, ‘The wording after the Left’s “Foretold by the fishing-fires” (shirasegao ni mo kagaribi no) is surely somewhat unsatisfactory. The Right’s “Such deep sorrow” (fukaki aware o) appears much better. It should win.’