The Beginning of Winter
Left
ほどもなく冬は来にけり神無月秋はまだきもみえなかくを
| hodo mo naku fuyu wa kinikeri kaminazuki aki wa madaki mo mienakaku o | Before I knew it Winter has arrived! In the Godless Month Autumn has only just Vanished from view… |
23
Right
神無月たてるをみれば白露のむすぼほれたる霜おきにけり
| kaminazuki tateru o mireba shiratsuyu no musubōretaru shimo okinikeri | When, the Godless Month’s Arrival I see, Silver dewdrops Have drenched The fallen frost. |
24
Round Nine
Left (T – Tie; M – Win)
神無月旅行く人もいづくにかたちかくるべき時雨もる山
| kaminazuki tabi yuku hito mo izuku ni ka tachikakurubeki shigure moru yama | In the Godless Month For folk gone travelling Is there anywhere To hide themselves away, As the showers drip down on Mount Moru? |
Lady Shinano
17
Right
くらぶ山いかがこゆべき神無月木の葉とともにしぐれ降るなり
| kurabuyama ikaga koyubeki kaminazuki ko no ha to tomo ni shigure furu nari | Over gloomy Mount Kurabu How can I find my way across? In the Godless Month Together with the leaves from the trees A shower is falling… |
Lord Nobutada
18
Toshiyori states: in the first poem, I do not feel that travelling is a natural continuation from ‘Godless Month’. ‘Is there anywhere’, too, does not sound smooth, does it. As for the second poem, if one mentions ‘gloomy Mount Kurabu’ and then follows it with ‘How can I find my way across?’, one should give a reason for the expression, whether it be because it’s gloomy, or because the sun is going down, otherwise it’s also unclear why one should be having difficulties crossing the mountain. If one is grieved by the falling leaves, then the poem sounds more like an ‘Scarlet Leaves’ one, and this is unreasonable. These both look to be about the same.
Mototoshi states: ‘showers drip down on Mount Moru’ is a bit better than ‘gloomy Mount Kurabu’, isn’t it. I feel it’s only logical that there should be no shadows in which one could hide oneself away.
Round Eight
Left (Both Judges – Tie)
神無月三室の山の紅葉ばも色に出でぬべく降るしぐれかな
| kaminazuki mimuro no yama no momijaba mo iro ni idenubeku furu shigure kana | In the Godless Month On Mount Mimuro The autumn leaves Show no hues at all, despite The falling showers! |
Lord Morikata
15
Right
かみな月時雨れてわたるたびごとに生田の杜をおもひこそやれ
| kaminazuki shigurete wataru tabi goto ni ikuta no mori o omoi koso yare | In the Godless Month Showers pass by and Every time The sacred grove at Ikuta I do recall. |
Lord Tadataka
16
Toshiyori states: ‘Godless Month’ is the name given to a specific month of the year. It’s somewhat unclear why one would use ‘Godless Month’ in conjunction with ‘Mount Mimuro’ – is there a prior poem to evidence this? It’s quite normal for lines which would normally have five syllables to be written with six, or those with seven to have eight, and this can sound fine in some cases. Here, though, it does sound obviously excessive and I do wonder about that. The second poem is plainly based on an earlier work, and is not at all clear, but as it has precedent, these two are about the same.
Mototoshi states: neither of these poems appears bad, so I say they tie.
The Chrysanthemum Match held during the Reign of the Daigo Emperor[1]
Topic
Poets
秋すぎてのこれるきくはかみな月くもをわけてぞにほふべらなる
| aki sugite nokoreru kiku wa kaminazuki kumo o wakete zo niouberanaru | Autumn passes, and Lingering chrysanthemums In the Godless Month Seem to break apart the clouds With their glow. |
His Majesty’s Composition
1
霜がれになりはてぬともきくの花をる人たれととはばこたへむ
| shimogare ni narehatenu tomo kiku no hana oru hito tare to towaba kotaemu | Completely burned by frost They may have become, yet These chrysanthemum blooms, but Who was it plucked you, Should you ask, I wonder, would they reply? |
Ōn-kazashi
2
[1] Daigo ōntoki kiku awase 醍醐御時菊合
Round Five
Left (Win)
はれくもりしぐれするよはまつがねのまくらをえこそさだめざりけれ
| harekumori shiguresuru yo wa matsu ga ne no makura o e koso sadamezarikere | Clear then clouded With showers is the night, When pine roots do My pillow make I cannot decide at all…[1] |
Asamune
59
Right
かみなづきしぐるるよはのたびやかたもるとはなしにぬるるそでかな
| kaminazuki shigururu yowa no tabiyakata moru to wa nashi ni nururu sode kana | In the Godless Month Showers at midnight At traveller’s lodge Should drench me not, yet Soaked are my sleeves! [2] |
Kanetsuna
60
The style of both Left and Right sounds elegant. However, with regard to the Right’s poems, while I am well accustomed to hearing that one would not be drenched at a lodge, the combination of the diction of ‘showers’ and ‘soaked’ would have been better avoided. The conclusion of the Left, with ‘pine roots’ and sequencing sounds pleasant. Thus, the Left wins.
[1] Alluding to: Topic unknown. よひよひに枕さだめむ方もなしいかにねし夜か夢に見えけむ yoi yoi ni / makura sadamemu / kata mo nashi / ika ni neshi yo ka / yume ni miekemu ‘Night after night / To decide upon my pillow / I cannot do, at all / How can I sleep the night away / And see you in my dreams?’ Anonymous (KKS XI: 516)
[2] Alluding to: Composed in place of an islander from Ulleungdo. 故郷有母秋風涙 旅館無人暮雨魂 kokyō ni haha ari aki no kaze no namida / ryokan ni hito nashi bō no Tamashii ‘My mother lies in my ancient home; my tears overflow with the autumn wind, as / Alone in my traveller’s lodgings, the rain at dusk draws out my soul.’ Tamenori (Shinsen rōeishū 606)
