Left (Tie)
一夜のみ宿かる人の契とて露結び置く草枕かな
hitoyo nomi yado karu hito no chigiri tote tsuyu musubioku kusamakura kana | For just a single night Will he rent my lodging and Make a brief bond of love; Dewdrops tangled with My grassy pillow… |
A Servant Girl
1163
Right
結びけん契もつらし草枕待つ夕暮も宿を頼みて
musubiken chigiri mo tsurashi kusamakura matsu yūgure mo yado o tanomite | Tangled Brief bonds are chill; With a grassy pillow She awaits the evening and A request for lodging. |
Takanobu
1164
Left and Right state together: both poems have only a faint conception of entertainers.
In judgement: both Left and Right have a ‘grassy pillow’ (kusamakura) and a faint conception of entertainers, as the Gentlemen have already stated. They seem to me to somehow resemble the poem by the Left in Round Nine. The Left’s ‘dewfall drops tangled’ (tsuyu musubioku) and the Right’s ‘brief bonds are chill’ (chigiri mo tsurashi) are both elegant. Once again, I make this a tie.
Left (Tie)
東路や萱津の原の朝霧に起き別るらん袖はものかは
azumaji ya kayatsu no hara no asagiri ni okiwakaruran sode wa mono ka wa | On the eastern roads, Upon the field of Kayatsu With the morning mists Does he rise and part, but Are his sleeves as mine? |
Lord Ari’ie
1161
Right
さまざまにうつる心も鏡山影見ぬ人を恋ふるものかは
samazama ni utsuru kokoro mo kagamiyama kage minu hito o kouru mono ka wa | Many Hearts does she attract upon Mirror Mount, But with one whose face remains unseen Would I fall in love? |
Lord Takanobu
1162
The Right state: the Left’s poem is fine. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: both poems are certainly by men entranced by thoughts of player-girls. The configuration and diction of ‘are his sleeves as mine?’ (sode wa mono ka wa) and ‘would I fall in love?’ (kouru mono ka wa) are both not unpleasant. Thus, I make this a tie.
Left (Win)
一夜かす野上の里の草枕結びすてける人の契りを
hitoyo kasu nogami no sato no kusamakura musubitekeru hito no chigiri o | For a single night you lent, At the estate of Nogami, Your pillow of grass to me; Entwined in A brief bond of love! |
Lord Sada’ie
1159
Right
恨むべき方こそなけれ東路の野上の庵の暮れ方の空
uramubeki kata koso nakere azumaji no nogami no io no kurekata no sora | My despite Has no place to go; Upon the eastern roads Above a hut in Nogami The sky is filled with darkness… |
Jakuren
1160
The Right state: ‘for a single night you lent’ is grating on the ear. In addition, we wonder about the appropriateness of the final section. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no particular faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left’s ‘estate of Nogami’ (nogami no sato), and the Right’s ‘a hut in Nogami’ (nogami no io), then saying ‘entwined’ (musubitekeru) and ‘the sky is filled with darkness’ (kurekata no sora) – both poems have significant conception, but how should the initial section of the Right’s poem – ‘my despite has no place to go’ (uramubeki kata koso nakere) be understood? If it was a sky filled with light, then one would feel despite, but in the evening she would be lending her hut, surely. There is nothing unusual about the conclusion of the Left’s poem. It should win.
Left
うかれめの浮かれて歩く旅やかた住みつきがたき恋もする哉
ukareme no ukarete ariku tabiyakata sumitsukigataki koi mo suru kana | Player girls do Drift around The inn-houses; As unsettled Is the love they make… |
Lord Suetsune
1157
Right (Win)
東路やゆききの人にうちとけて宿かりそめの契すらしも
azumaji ya yukiki no hito ni uchitokete yado karisome no chigiri sura shimo | Along the Eastern Roads Folk go back and forth, and To relieve them, the girls Find brief lodging and even make brief Vows of love… |
The Supernumerary Master of the Empress’ Household Office
1158
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no matters we can criticize. The Left state: the conception of Love in the Right’s poem is vague.
In judgement: The Left’s poem seem certainly to capture the conceptions of both Love and player-girls. ‘Even’ (sura shimo) in the Right’s final section, sounds rather abrupt and portentous, but the initial section is certainly elegant. Thus, the Right should win.
Left
心ゆく野路の旅寝の友なくはいとど都や恋しからまし
kokoro yuku noji no tabine no tomo naku wa itodo miyako ya koishikaramashi | To ease my heart While sleeping on my travels ‘tween the fields I have no friend at all, so How much more the capital Does seem dear to me now! |
Lord Kanemune
1155
Right (Win)
立ち宿る一夜ばかりの契だにさてながらふる人もある世を
tachiyadoru hitoyo bakari no chigiri dani sate nagarauru hito mo aru yo o | Lodging on one’s travels, For just a single night, A love That lasts with A lady does happen sometimes, yet… |
Nobusada
1156
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no entertainers, or conception of love, either. The Left state: the Right’s poem lacks entertainers.
In judgement: it seems that the Gentlemen of both teams have already stated that both poems lack the conception of Love. However, they seem to me to both capture the conception of entertainers. The Right’s configuration and conception are fine. It should win, I think.
'Simply moving and elegant'