Composed when he was on a pilgrimage to worship Kannon at thirty-three places, and saw oil emerging at Tanigumi, in Mino.[1]
よをてらすほとけのしるしありければまだともし火もきえぬなりけり
| yo wo terasu Fotoke no sirusi arikereba mada tomosibi mo kienu narikeri | Shining light upon the world, This Buddha, a sign Does give: As yet, the lanterns Never have gone out! |
Former Archbishop Kakuchū
前大僧正覚忠
[1] This poem was composed at the Kegonji 華厳寺 temple on Mount Tagumi (Tagumisan 谷汲山) in the middle of what is now Gifu 岐阜 prefecture.
Left (Win).
秋ごとに絶えぬ星合のさ夜更て光傡ぶる庭の灯し火
| akigoto ni taenu hoshiai no sayo fukete hikari naraburu niwa no tomoshibi |
Each and every autumn, For the eternal meeting of the stars Night falls, and Lights align with The palace garden lanterns. |
319
Right.
露深き庭の灯し火數消ぬ夜や更ぬらん星合の空
| tsuyu fukai niwa no tomoshibi kazu kienu yo ya fukenuran hoshiai no sora |
Deep dewfall Upon the garden lanterns Extinguished a number; Has night fallen, I wonder, Upon the sky wherein stars meet? |
320
The Right have no comments to make about the Left’s poem this round, while the Left simply say the Right’s poem has ‘major faults’. (Criticising the use of the completive marker nu twice in quick succession: kienu, fukenuran.)
Shunzei ignores this point, simply saying, ‘The expression “Has night fallen, I wonder, upon the sky wherein stars meet?” (yo ya fukenuran hoshiai no sora) is splendid, but there is no reason for beginning the poem with “deep dewfall” (tsuyu fukaki). The Lefts’ poem has no faults – thus, it must win.’