Round Seven
Left
かすがやまちえにさかゆるさかきばはよろづよまでのきみがためか
| kasugayama chie ni sakayuru sakakiba wa yorozuyo made no kimi ga tame ka | Upon Kasuga Mountain A thousand branches grow, Leafy, on the sacred tree— Until ten thousand ages pass Will they ward my Lord! |
Lady Kazusa
69
Right
君がよはいふかぎりなしみよしののこがねがみねにみよをまつまで
| kimi ga yo wa iu kagiri nashi miyoshino no kogane ga mine ni miyo o matsu made | My Lord’s reign— Words cannot describe: ‘til fair Yoshino’s Golden peak’s Age one must await! |
Lady Shikibu
70
The poem of the Left seems poetic to an extraordinarily outlandish degree! The poem of the Right’s ‘‘til fair Yoshino’s / Golden peak’s / Age one must await!’ has a sufficient conception of felicitation. Thus, these tie.
That the Left is addressed to Mount Kasuga is highly admirable. Is the Right’s ‘golden peak’ a reference to Mount Mitake? It’s very difficult to say anything profound here. Arbitrarily, I would make this a tie—the quality of the poems makes that seem right.
朝ごとに山にたちまふ朝霧は紅葉みせじとをしむなりけり
| asagoto ni yama ni tachimau asagiri wa momiji miseji to oshimu narikeri | With every morning Twining round the mountains The morning mists – that They cannot reveal the scarlet leaves Is regrettable, indeed! |
7
秋の夜は人をしづめてつれづれと掻きなす琴の音にぞたてつる
| aki no yo wa hito o shizumete tsurezure to kakinasu koto no ne ni zo tatetsuru | On an autumn night When folk are all abed, Idly Plucked a zither’s Strains sound out. |
8
The Names of the Buddhas
Round 10
Left
年のうちにつもれる罪を残さじと三世の仏の名をぞ唱ふる
| toshi no uchi ni tsumoreru tsumi o nokosaji to miyo no hotoke no na o zo tonauru | Within this year I have accumulated sins, that I would not have linger at The three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names recitation! |
Seji 宣旨
19
Right
君が代を三世の仏に年を経て返す返すも祈るべき哉
| kimi ga yo o miyo no hotoke ni toshi o hete kaesugaesu mo inorubeki kana | That Your Highness reign The three worlds’ Buddhas’ Years shall pass through Again and yet again Shall be my only prayer! |
Hyōe 兵衛
20
The Names of the Buddhas
Round Nine
Left
あらはるる三世の仏の名を聞くにつもれる罪は霜と消えなむ
| arawaruru miyo no hotoke no na o kiku ni tsumoreru tsumi wa shimo to kienamu | The manifest Three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names I hear, and My accumulated sins seem to Vanish with the frost. |
Misaku 美作
17
Right
頼みみる三世の仏の名を聞けばつもれる罪もあらじとぞ思ふ
| tanomi miru miyo no hotoke no na o kikeba tsumoreru tsumi mo araji to zo omou | Hearing our pleas The three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names I hear, and Even my accumulated sins Seem to be gone, I feel. |
Shikibu 式部
18
