For a painting of travellers resting beneath scarlet leaves, on a sliding door in the Awata mountain retreat of the Nijō Minister of the Right.
今よりは紅葉のもとにやどりせじをしむに旅の日かずへぬべし
| ima yori Fa momidi no moto ni yadorisezi wosimu ni tabi no Fikazu Fenubesi | From now on Beneath the scarlet leaves I’ll not be let rest, for Regretfully, my travelling Days have come upon me. |
Dharma Master Egyō
恵慶法師
In the summer, he sent this to his daughter, the Fifth Imperial Princess, attached to some lingering yellowed oak leaves.
時ならでははその紅葉ちりにけりいかにこのもとさびしかるらん
| toki narade FaFaso no momidi tirinikeri ika ni ko no moto sabisikaruran | ‘Tis not the season, but The oaks’ leaves have yellowed and Scattered; Beneath the trunks How lonely it must be… |
His Majesty, the Tenryaku Emperor
Round Two
Left
しらつゆのこのはをわきておくやまのふかきもみぢはいろもうつらじ
| shiratsuyu no ko no ha o wakite okuyama no fukaki momiji wa iro mo utsuraji | Silver dewfall Marks out the leaves upon the trees; In the mountains’ heart, Deep scarlet the autumn leaves Hues, too, will never fade away. |
3[i]
Right (Win)
くれなゐのやしほのいろはもみぢばに秋くははれるとしにざりける
| kurenai no yashio no iro wa momijiba ni aki kuwawareru toshi ni zarikeru | With vermillion Dippings eight, hue is laid Upon the scarlet leaves with Autumn added To the year! |
4[ii]
[i] This poem is included in Gyokuyōshū (V: 794/795) with the headnote, ‘For the scarlet leaves match during the reign of the Tenryaku emperor’.
[ii] This poem is included in Gyokuyōshū (V: 795/796) with the headnote, ‘For the scarlet leaves match during the reign of the Tenryaku emperor’. It is also included in Mandaishū (V: 1223) with the headnote, ‘A poem from the autumn leaves match held at the palace in the intercalary Ninth Month, Tenryaku 9’ and in Kiyotada-shū (38), with the headnote ‘From an autumn leaves match at the palace, in a year when there were two ninth months’.
Original
ちらねどもかねてぞをしきもみぢばはけふをかぎりのいろとみつれば
| chiranedomo kanete zo oshiki momijiba wa kyō o kagiri no iro to mitsureba | They have yet to scatter, but Already, I regret The scarlet leaves, for Today is the utmost Extent of their hues… |
39
Left (Win)
あきふかきやまのもみぢもあるものをいまはのいろとおもはざらなむ
| aki fukaki yama no momiji mo aru mono o ima wa no iro to omowazaranamu | Though in the depths of autumn The mountains’ scarlet leaves Are fair, On their hues now I would not have you dwell… |
40
Right
かぎりなきいろはためしにをしけれどえだにもみぢはとまりげもなし
| kagiri naki iro wa tameshi ni oshikeredo eda ni momiji wa tomarige mo nashi | Limitlessly fair Hues have there been before, and Regrets, yet The scarlet leaves upon the boughs Show no signs of lingering… |
41
Original
あきやまにこころをのみもいるるかなもみぢのいろのふかきまにまに
| akiyama ni kokoro o nomi mo iruru kana momiji no iro no fukaki manimani | By the autumn mountains My heart, too, is simply Drawn within! While the hues of scarlet leaves Are so deep… |
27
Left
あきやまにいらんこころはなごりなくひとにやみえむもみぢちりなば
| akiyama ni iran kokoro wa nagori naku hito ni yamiemu momiji chirinaba | By the autumn mountains Drawn—such a heart Might leave no trace And such a one might cease to be, Should the scarlet leaves all scatter… |
28
Right
もみぢするあきにこころのいるひとやあだなることをまづはしるらむ
| momijisuru aki ni kokoro no iru hito ya adanaru koto o mazu wa shiruramu | Scarlet the leaves turn In autumn—one with a heart So drawn, that ‘Tis fleeting Should know first of all! |
29
Original
しぐれふりもみぢのみするやまざとはすみしひとさへうつろひにけり
| shigure furi momiji nomi suru yamazato wa sumishi hito sae utsuroinikeri | With the falling showers Scarlet do the leaves simply turn At this mountain retreat, Even folk who dwelled there Have faded away. |
24
Left
しぐれふるもみぢのいろはかはれどもすむひとさへはうつらざりけり
| shigure furu momiji no iro wa kawaredomo sumu hito sae wa utsurazarikeri | Falling showers The scarlet leaves’ hues Do change, yet Folk there dwelling Remain unfaded! |
25
Right
すむひとのしぐれふりいでてうつろはばちらむもみぢをたれかをしまむ
| sumu hito no shigure furi’idete utsurowaba chiramu momiji o tareka oshimamu | Should, folk there dwelling With the falling showers Fade away, then The scattering of scarlet leaves Who might be there to regret? |
26
Original
あしひきのやまぢはあきぞまどひけるつもれるもみぢあとしなければ
| ashihiki no yamaji wa aki zo madoikeru tsumoreru momiji ato shinakereba | Leg-wearying Mountain paths in autumn Are lost, indeed! For piled with scarlet leaves Traces are their none… |
21
Left (Win)
もみぢばをたむけにつめるあきやまにみちみえずともたれかまどはむ
| momijiba o tamuke ni tsumeru akiyama ni michi miezu tomo tareka madowamu | Scarlet leaves are An offering made By the autumn mountains, so Though the path might go unseen, Who would lose their way? |
22
Right
あしひきのやまのもみぢしあかからばみちふみわけてたづぬばかりぞ
| ashihiki no yama no momiji shi akakaraba michi fumiwakete tazunu bakari zo | The leg-wearying Mountains’ scarlet leaves Are so bright, that Forging through along the paths To visit is all you need to do! |
23
Original
さほやまのははそのもみぢちりぬべみよるさへみよとてらすつきかげ
| saoyama no hahaso no momiji chirinubemi yoru sae miyo to terasu tsukikage | Upon Sao Mountain The oaks’ autumn leaves Must have scattered, for Even at night behold! The shining moonlight… |
12
Left (Win)
ひさかたのつきなかりせばさほやまのもみぢはよるのにしきならまし
| hisakata no tsuki nakariseba saoyama no momiji wa yoru no nishiki naramashi | Were the eternal Moon to cease to be, then Sao Mountain’s Autumn leaves for night’s Brocade would I wish! |
13
Right
つきかげのさやけくみゆるさほやまのもみぢをかぜにまかせずもがな
| tsukikage no sayakeku miyuru saoyama no momiji o kaze ni makasezu mogana | In the moonlight, So clear, I see Sao Mountain’s Autumn leaves—to the wind I would entrust them not! |
14
Former Emperor Yōzei, on the 15th day of the Ninth Month, when it fell upon the day of Elder Brother-Metal Monkey, held a poetry match of the Left and Right with his eldest son’s daughters, the First Princess and the Second Princess, as the leaders of the two teams, composing poems in response to prior poems on the conception of the end of autumn.
Original
つきかげのやましたまでにさやけきはよるももみぢのいろをみよとや
| tsukikage no yamashita made ni sayakeki wa yoru mo momiji no iro o miyo to ya | The moonlight To the mountains’ foot Is clear, so At night, too, the scarlet leaves’ Hues behold—I wonder if they say! |
1
Left
もみぢせぬあきのやまべのあらばこそつきのひかりをたづねてもみめ
| momiji senu aki no yamabe no araba koso tsuki no hikari o tazunete mo miyu | Should scarlet leaves be not Upon the autumn mountainside Then, surely, still The moon’s light Would I visit to see. |
2
Right
つきかげにちりぬべければ〔 〕
| tsukikage ni chirinubekereba | When within the moonlight Can have scattered |
3
From the poetry match at Tsurayuki’s house in Tengyō 2 – The beginning of autumn.
松もなくしげき木の葉は夏ながらもみぢの色ぞ染めはじめける
| matsu mo naku shigeki no ha wa natsu nagara momiji no iro zo somehajimekeru | Not waiting at all The leaves upon the trees, so lush In summer, have With scarlet hues Begun to be dyed! |
Anonymous
