Tag Archives: kuretake

Love V: 11

Left (Win).
葉を若みまだふし馴れぬ呉竹のこはしほるべき露の上かは

ha o wakami
mada fushinarenu
kuretake no
ko wa shiorubeki
tsuyu no ue ka wa
Fresh leaved, and
Not yet grown to knots in bed,
A bamboo
Maid: will she draw the
Kindly dew upon her?

Lord Sada’ie.
861

Right.
情なき風に従ふ姫百合は露けきことやならはざるらん

nasakenaki
kaze ni shitagau
himeyuri wa
tsuyukeki koto ya
narawazaruran
The heartless
Wind brushes
A young star lily:
To being dew drenched
Is she, perhaps, unaccustomed?

Lord Tsune’ie.
862

The Right state: the Left’s poem has not faults to indicate. The Left state: the Right’s poem lacks the conception of Love.

In judgement: the Left uses ‘bamboo’ (kuretake) and the Right ‘star lily’ (himeyuri): although the Left’s ‘Maid: will she draw’ (ko wa shiorubeki) does not seem possible to accept on grounds of style, but the Right, in addition to also lacking much conception of Love, has ‘heartless wind’ (nasakenaki kaze) which sounds poor. Thus, the Left should win, I think.

 

Autumn I: 8

Left (Win).

呉竹に過ぐる秋風さ夜更けて奠るほどにや星合の空

kuretake ni
suguru akikaze
sayo fukete
matsuru hodo ni ya
hoshiai no sora
When the black bamboo
Is brushed by autumn breeze, and
Night falls,
Is it time to celebrate?
Stars meeting in the heavens…

Lord Kanemune.

315

Right.

九重に今日奠るをば七夕のたゞ一夜にも嬉しとや見る

kokonoe ni
kyō matsuru oba
tanabata no
tada hito yo ni mo
ureshi to ya miru
Within the Ninefold Palace walls
This day we celebrate,
The lovers on
Just a single night:
Are they pleased, I wonder?

The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.

316

The Right state, ‘“Is it time to celebrate? Stars meeting in the heavens” (matsuru hodo ni ya hoshiai no sora) – the one does not seem to follow from the other. The Left wonder, ‘why we have an annual rite describe as “a single night” (tada hito yo), and not “but one night a year” (toshi ni hito yo)?’

Shunzei merely remarks, ‘“Is it time to celebrate? Stars meeting in the heavens” – this certainly does follow on, and there is nothing wrong with it. The point about “a single night” is well made. The Left wins.’

SKKS VI: 673

In the same house, when he had winter poems composed containing place-names, this was composed on snow on the estate of Fushimi.

夢かよふみちさへたえぬくれ竹のふしみのさとの雪のしたをれ

yume kayou
michi sae taenu
kuretake no
fushimi no sato no
yuki no shitaore
In dreams I trod
A path now gone:
The bamboo at
Fushimi is
Broken in the snow.

Ari’ie
有家

An AI generated image of a path through a snowy bamboo grove at night.
Created with Adobe Firefly.
A kuzushiji version of the poem's text.
Created with Soan.