Left (Win)
恋わたる夜はのさむしろ波かけてかくや待けん宇治の橋姫
koi wataru
yowa no samushiro
nami kakete
kaku ya machiken
uji no hashihime |
Crossed in love
At night my mat of straw
Is washed by waves;
Is this how she waits,
The maid at Uji bridge. |
A Servant Girl
1019
Right
いにしへの宇治の橋守身をつまば年経る恋を哀とも見よ
inishie no
uji no hashimori
mi o tsumaba
toshi furu koi o
aware tomo miyo |
Ancient
Warden of Uji bridge,
If you pinch me,
How I have aged with love for you
Will you know, and pity me… |
Jakuren
1020
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: the style of both the Left’s ‘maid at Uji bridge’ (uji no hashihime) and the Right’s ‘Warden of Uji bridge’ (uji no hashimori) is pleasant, and the Left’s ‘Is this how she waits, the maid at Uji bridge’ (kaku ya machiken uji no hashihime) draws on the conception of a tale from long ago, and the configuration also seems deeply moving. Thus, the Left should win.
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.
'Simply moving and elegant'