Composed when His Majesty’s gentlemen had gone to the River Ōi on the first day of the Tenth Month to compose poetry.
落ちつもる紅葉をみれば大井川井堰に秋もとまる なりけり
| otitumoru momidi wo mireba oFowigaFa iseki ni aki mo tomaru narikeri |
Fallen in piles are The scarlet leaves – when I see them at The River Ōi The weirs and dams autumn Have held in place… |
Former Major Councillor Kintō
前大納言公任
Composed on autumn leaves when the late Minister of Ceremonial had gone to the River Ōi.
水上に紅葉ながれて大井河むらごにみゆる瀧の白糸
| minakami ni momidi nagarete oFiwigaFa murago ni miyuru taki no siraito |
From upstream Flow the scarlet leaves upon The River Ōi Seeming to spatter colour on The cataracts’ white threads… |
The Horikawa Minister of the Right [Fujiwara no Yorimune]
堀川右大臣 [藤原頼宗]
When Former Emperor Uda held an imperial excursion to Ōikawa, he stated that the place was truly suited to such an activity, and this was composed to inform His Majesty of the fact.
小倉山峯の紅葉は心あらば今一度の御幸待たなん
| ogurayama mine no momidi Fa kokoro araba ima Fitotabi no miyuki matanan |
On Ogurayama, Had he maples on the peak Any heart at all, Now, for one more Imperial visit would they await… |
The Koichijō Grand Minister [Fujiwara no Tadahira]
Left (Tie).
逢見ても身にやは年の積るべき我老いらくになしと答ふな
| aimite mo mi ni ya wa toshi no tsumorubeki wa ga oiraku ni nashi to kotauna |
Even should you meet me Upon you the years Would the years pile up? So to this old man I would not have you say no… |
Lord Ari’ie.
843
Right.
包めども老蘇の森の薄紅葉たへでも色に出でにける哉
| tsutsumedomo oiso no mori no usumomiji taedemo iro ni idenikeru kana |
Although they may be hidden in The sacred grove of Oiso, The pale scarlet leaves’ Hues may not endure, but Still have appeared… |
The Provisional Master of the Empress Household Office.
844
The Right state: the Left’s poem’s conception is vague. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to indicate.
In judgement: the Left is unclear in style, but the configuration of ‘upon you the years’ (mi ni ya wa toshi no) is pleasant. Although one wonders why ‘pale scarlet leaves’ (usumomiji) is used, the following ‘hues may not endure’ (taedemo iro ni) is elegant. The round should tie.
Left (Tie).
散果てん木葉の音を殘しても色こそなけれ嶺の松風
| chirihaten ko no ha no oto o nokoshitemo iro koso nakere mine no matsukaze |
Completely scattered Are the leaves, but the sound Remains Lacking only the hue As the wind blows through the pines on the peak. |
491
Right.
時雨ゆく松の緑は空晴て嵐にくもる峰の紅葉葉
| shigure yuku matsu no midori wa sora harete arashi ni kumoru mine no momijiba |
Is drizzle falling On the pines so green? The skies are clear, Clouded only by a storm Of scarlet leaves from the peaks… |
492
The Right have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem. The Left state that they find the Right’s poem, ‘difficult to grasp’. In reply, the Right say, ‘It is conceived after a Chinese poem that “the wind in the pines is the sound of rain”.’
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem is excellent in both configuration and diction [sugata kotoba yoroshiku haberumere]. The Right’s ‘clouded only by a storm’ (arashi ni kumoru) sounds charming in conception [kokoro okashiku kikoyu] – even without drawing upon the Chinese model. In this round, too, there is no clear winner or loser and it must tie.
Left.
はかなしや浮きたる風に誘はれていづち生田の杜の木葉ぞ
| hakanashi ya ukitaru kaze ni sasowarete izuchi ikuta no mori no konoha zo |
How fleeting! The fickle wind Beckons, but Where does Ikuta’s Sacred grove send its leaves? |
489
Right.
惜しみかね嶺の紅葉に染置きし心の色も散り果てにけり
| oshimikane mine no momiji ni someokishi kokoro no iro mo chirihatenikeri |
I cannot regret, that Scarlet leaves from on the peak Have laid a stain Upon the hues within my heart And scattered them all over! |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
490
The Right find no fault with the Left’s poem. The Left wonder whether the use of ‘I cannot regret’ (oshimikane) implies that the poet feels nothing prior to that.
Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s final section is elegant [yū ni haberu], but although I have heard of many different types of wind, I have no recollection of any familiarity [kikinarete mo oboehaberane] with a ‘fickle wind’ (ukitaru kaze). While I feel the Right’s poem has no particular faults, the initial ‘I cannot regret’ (oshimikane) does not seem to fit will with what follows. The poems are alike and the round must tie.