Flames.
君がもるゑじのたくひのひるはたえよるはもえつつ物をこそ思へ
| kimi ga moru wezi no taku Fi no Firu wa tae yoru Fa moetsutsu mono o koso omoFe | My lord stands guard at the Palace, A conscript kindling flames which Dwindle with the daytime, and Ever burn at night: As do I, for love of him. |
On the conception of blossom having a pleasing hue, when various people were in attendance on His Majesty, during the reign of former emperor Nijō.
君が代にあへるはたれもうれしきを花はいろにもいでにけるかな
| kimi ga yo ni aeru wa tare mo ureshiki o hana wa iro ni mo idenikeru kana | My Lord’s reign Has everyone greeted With joy, and The blossom in such hues Has appeared! |
Minister of Justice Norikane
On blossom.
鶯之 徃来垣根乃 宇能花之 猒事有哉 君之不来座
うぐひすのかよふかきねのうのはなのうきことあれやきみがきまさぬ
| ugupisu no kayopu kakine no unopana no uki koto are ya kimi ga kimasanu | The warbler Flits around my brushwood fence’s Deutzia blooms— Is there some sad event which Stops my Lord from coming? |
Anonymous
A poem inscribed in cursive script on a lacquerware box from when he was absorbed in compiling the Collection of a Thousand Years.
和歌の浦にちぢのたまもをかきつめて万世までも君がみんため
| waka no ura ni chiji no tamamo o kakitsumete yorozuyo made mo kimi ga min tame | In the Bay of Waka Countless gemweeds Have I raked together that For ten thousand generations My Lord may gaze upon them! |
Master of the Dowager Empress’ Household Office Toshinari
Composed for the Palace Poetry Match in Shōryaku 2 [1078].
君が世はつきじとぞおもふかみかぜやみもすそ川のすまむかぎりは
| kimi ga yo wa tsukiji to zo omou kamikaze ya mimosusogawa no sumamu kagiri wa | My Lord’s reign Shall never end, I feel! While beneath the divine winds The Mimosuso River[i] Is clear! |
Minister of Justice Tsunenobu
[i] The Mimosuso River (mimosugawa 御裳濯川) is the name given to the Isuzu River (isuzugawa 五十鈴川) as it flows past the Grand Shrine of Ise, which is dedicated to the ancestral deity of the imperial house, Amaterasu ōmikami 天照大神.
Left (Tie)
あふことのきみにたえにしわがみよりいくらのなみだながれいでぬらむ
| au koto no kimi ni taenishi wa ga mi yori ikura no namida nagare’idenuramu | My meetings with You, my lord, have ceased, and From my flesh What a torrent of tears Flow out! |
Ise
59
Right
きみこひのあまりにしかばしのぶれどひとのしるらんことのわびしさ
| kimi koi no amari nishikaba shinoburedo hito no shiruran koto no wabishiki | Loving you Beyond all measure, I kept it secret, yet That folk seem to know Is a cause of heartache. |
Tsurayuki
60
On hearing His Highness, the Prince of the Right remark in irritation that the Left’s poem had appealed to His Majesty’s heart, His Majesty composed
ゆきかへりちどりなくなるはまゆふのこころへだてておもふものかは
| yukikaeri chidori naku naru hamayū no kokoro hedatete omou mono ka wa | Going back and forth Plovers cry from The beach among the spider lilies Do their hearts distinguish Do you think? |
His Majesty
61
One day, he was summoned to the Thunder Pavilion to take wine with His Majesty; rain was falling fiercely as evening drew on and when he rose to take his leave, he took his wine-cup and…
秋はぎの花をば雨にぬらせども君をばましてをしとこそおもへ
| aki Fagi no Fana woba ame ni nurasedomo kimi woba masite osi to koso omoFe | The autumn bush clover’s Blooms by the raindrops Have been soaked, yet, My lord, far more Do I regret leaving you. |
Composed when the former Teishi Emperor made a progress to Naniwa.
君がため波の玉しくみつの浜ゆき過ぎがたしおりてひろはん
| kimi ga tame nami no tamashiku mitsu no hama yukisugigatashi orite hirowan | For my Lord’s sake The waves scatter gems On the beach at Mitsu— So hard it is to pass them by I would disembark and gather them up! |
Prince Sadakazu
やをとめのそでかとぞみるをみなへしきみをいはひてなではじめてき
| yaotome no sode ka to zo miru ominaeshi kimi o iwaite nadehajimeteki | As eight sacred maidens’ Sleeves do they appear, The maidenflowers, Celebrating our Lord’s reign With a first gentle touch. |
49
うゑながらかつはたのまずをみなへしうつろふあきのほどしなければ
| uenagara katsu wa tanomazu ominaeshi utsurou aki no hodo shi nakereba | I planted them, yet Still unreliable are The maidenflowers, for They fade and autumn Is nothing but brief… |
50
Left Final Round
をみなへしこのあきまでぞまさるべきつゆをもぬきてたまにまどはせ
| ominaeshi kono aki made zo masarubeki tsuyu o mo nukite tama ni madowase | The maidenflowers This autumn Have been fine, indeed— Strung with dewdrops As pearls let you be! |
His Majesty
21[1]
Right
きみによりのべをはなれしをみなへしおなじこころにあきをとどめよ
| kimi ni yori nobe o hanareshi ominaeshi onaji kokoro ni aki o todomeyo | For My Lord Have you left your meadows, O, maidenflower, Wishing as we, Autumn—hold here! |
Her Majesty, the Empress
22[2]
The flowers of the Right were inferior, but the poems of the Right won.
[1] Shinsen man’yōshū 528
[2] Shinsen man’yōshū 548