伎倍人の斑衾に綿せはだいりなましもの妹がをささに
kiFeFito no madarabusuma ni wata seFada irinamasi mono wo imo ga wosasa ni |
The Kie Folk’s Motley bedding Has cotton within, yet I wish I had entered in My darling’s meagre blankets… |
Left (Tie).
象潟や妹戀ひしらにさ寢る夜の磯の寢覺に月傾きぬ
kisakata ya koishirani sanuru yo no iso no nezame ni tsuki katabukinu |
In Kisakata and In love; I sleep the night away, and Awaking on the rocky shore Behold the moon descending. |
Kenshō
897
Right.
清見潟岩敷く袖の浪の上に思ふもわびし君が面影
kiyomigata iwa shiku sode no nami no ue ni omou mo wabishi kimi ga omokage |
At Kiyomigata Sleeves spread atop the rocks, Waves breaking atop them; Heart filled with pain At the memory of your face… |
Jakuren
898
Left and Right both state that the opposing poem is pretentious.
In judgement: the Left’s poem seems well-constructed in its initial and final sections. However, as in Mototoshi’s poem long ago, ‘breaking a stem of miscanthus on the beach at Ise’, this seems to be a case of poetic allusion. The Right’s ‘Sleeves spread atop the rocks, waves breaking atop them’ (iwa shiku sode no nami no ue) seems to have been newly composed and seems elegant, but the final section is somewhat inferior. The Left has beginning and end matching. The Right has a superior initial section, but an inferior final one. Thus, the round ties.
Left.
伎倍人のまだら衾は板間より霜置く夜半の名にこそ有けれ
kiehito no madarabusuma wa itama yori shimo oku yowa no na ni koso arikere |
The Kie folk’s Motley-coloured coverlet: From between the boards The falling midnight frost has Given that name to mine! |
583
Right.
冴ゆる夜は天つ乙女もいかならん風もたまらぬ麻手小衾
sayuru yo wa ama tsu otome mo ika naran kaze mo tamaranu asade kobususma |
On this chill, clear night The maidens of the Heavens, too, How must they feel? Unable to avoid the wind, With only a meagre hempen blanket! |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
584
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we don’t understand the reference to ‘Kie Folk’ (kiehito). In response, the Gentlemen of the Left state: it occurs in the Man’yōshū. We have nothing more to say than that.
Shunzei’s judgement: although various remarks have been made about ‘Kie Folk’, and it has been said that it occurs in the Man’yōshū, it is not acceptable to simply say that and then say nothing more. It does appear to be something which it is acceptable to extract from the Man’yōshū and compose with, though. The Right’s poem, too, with its conception of frost falling on a ‘meagre hempen blanket’ (asade kobususma) is in a Man’yō style [fūtei]. It is also certainly the case that it is not unreasonable for the Left to have used ‘motley-coloured coverlet’ (madarabususma). The Round should tie.