A poem by Lord Ono no Oyu, Junior Assistant Governor-General of Dazai.
青丹吉 寧樂乃京師者 咲花乃 薫如 今盛有
あをによし奈良の都は咲く花のにほふがごとく今盛りなり
awoni yosi nara no miyako pa saku pana no nipopu ga gotoku ima masakari nari Good blue-black clay— Nara, the capital, As the flowering blossom Glows, Is in full-bloom today.
Composed on early snow for a palace poetry contest held in Eishō 4 [1049].
みやこにもはつゆきふればをの山のまきのすみがまたきまさるらん
miyako ni mo Fatuyuki Fureba wonoyama no maki no sumigama takimasaruran In the capital, too When the first snow falls Among Onoyama’s Evergreens the charcoal kilns Seem to smoulder more and more.
Sagami
Sent when the Hōjōji Lay Priest and Former Regent was in seclusion at the Kiyomizu Temple.
滝のおともいかがきくらん都だにものあはれなる比にも有るかな
taki no oto mo ikaga kikuran miyako dani mono’aware naru koro ni mo aru kana The waterfall’s sound: Do you hear it, I wonder? Even in the capital My heart is moved At this time, too!
Former Emperor Kazan 花山院御製
Left
をとめ子がひかげのうへに降る雪は花のまがふにいづれたがへり
otomego ga hikage no ue ni furu yuki wa hana no magau ni izure tagaeri Maidens In the sunlight, with The falling snow; Such a blending of blossoms— How do they differ?
145
Left
かきくらし散る花とのみふる雪は冬のみやこの雲のちるかと
kakikurashi chiru hana to nomi furu yuki wa fuyu no miyako no kumo no chiru ka to Quickly darkening with Scattered blossom that is simply Falling snow, Is the capital in winter Strewn with cloud?
146
Composed on the road, when it was springtime, and he was on his way from the countryside to the capital.
みわたせばみやこはちかくなりぬらんすぎぬる山はかすみへだてつ
miwataseba miyako Fa tikaku narinuran suginuru yama Fa kasumi Fedatetu When I gaze across, The capital closer Has become, it seems; The mountains I have passed Lie beyond the haze.
Minamoto no Michinari
Winter moonlight at a mountain retreat.
やまおろしのけしきばかりやふゆならむみやこなりせば秋のよの月
yama’oroshi no keshiki bakari ya fuyu naramu miyako nariseba aki no yo no tsuki The wind howling down the mountain Simply sets a scene of Seeming winter, but Were I in the capital, An autumn night’s moon, would this be…
Love Separated by Distant Roads 隔遠路恋
都人恋しきまでにおとせぬはなこその関をさはるにやあらん
miyakobito koishiki made ni oto senu wa nakoso no seki o sawaru ni ya aran My lady in the capital Is more dear than Words can tell, so Why should the Barrier at Nakoso, Close by, stand between us?
Kanemasa
First Snow 初雪
めづらしき花のみやこの初雪を九重にさへふらしてぞみる
mezurashiki hana no miyako no hatsuyuki o kokonoe ni sae furashite zo miru Unusually, On the flower that is the Capital Has fallen the first snow – The ninefold palace gates Have summoned it, it seems!
Toshiyori
First Snow 初雪
都人まづこはみせん山ざとの庭のこけぢにふれるはつ雪
miyakobito mazu ko wa misen yamazato no niwa no kokeji ni fureru hatsuyuki To folk from the capital First of all would I show My mountain home’s Mossy garden paths, where The first snow has fallen.
Nakazane
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.
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'Simply moving and elegant'