神無月しぐれふればかなら山のならのはがしは風にうつろふ
kaminazuki shigure fureba ka narayama no nara no hagashiwa kaze ni utsurou In the Godless Month, Is it the falling showers, perhaps, that On Nara Mountain Make the oak leaves Scatter with the wind?
よしの川紅葉ばながる滝のうへのみふねの山に嵐ふくらし
yoshinogawa momijiba nagaru taki no ue no mifune no yama ni arashi fukurashi The River Yoshino Runs with scarlet leaves Atop the cataract— Upon Mifune Mountain It seems a storm is raging.
Composed on the 1st day of the Tenth Month
秋はいぬかぜに木のはの散りはてて山さびしかる冬は来にけり
aki wa inu kaze ni ko no ha no chirihatete yama sabishikaru fuyu wa kinikeri Autumn has passed; With the wind the trees’ leaves Have all scattered away, and To the lonely mountains Winter has come.
Composed when caught in a shower, while making a pilgrimage to one hundred temples in Higashiyama.
もろともに山めぐりするしぐれかなふるにかひなき身とはしらずや
morotomo ni yamamegurisuru s igure kana Furu ni kaFinaki mi to Fa sirazu ya Together with me On my mountain pilgrimage are The showers! ‘Tis pointless to fall On my sorry self, don’t you know!
Master of the Left Capital Office Michimasa
On hearing geese cry
けさきなくかりがねさむみから衣たつたの山は紅葉しにけり
kesa kinaku kari ga ne samumi karakoromo tatsuta no yama wa momijshinikeri This morning calling as they come The goose cries are cold, indeed, A Cathay robe upon Tatsuta Mountain, The leaves all turning scarlet.
雁なきてさむきあらしの吹くなべにたつたの山は色付きにけり
kari nakite samuki arashi no fuku nae ni tatsuta no yama wa irozukinikeri The geese cry and As a chill storm wind Blows, The mountain of Tatsuta Takes on autumn hues.
やまさむみ衣手うすしさら科やをばすての月に秋ふけしかば
yama samumi koromode usushi sarashina ya obasute no tsuki ni aki fukeshikaba How cold the mountain, and How scanty my sleeves, Though in Sarashina The moon o’er Obasute tells that Autumn’s depths draw near…
In a place famous for the autumn moon
さざなみやひらの山風さよふけて月影さむししがのからさき
sazanami ya hira no yamakaze sayo fukete tsukikage samushi shiga no karasaki Wavelets stir at The breeze from Hira Mountain, As night draws on and The moonlight chills Karasaki in Shiga.
Gazing at the moon from my bed
草の庵にひとりながめて年もへぬ友なき山の秋のよの月
kusa no io ni hitori nagamete toshi mo henu tomo naki yama no aki no yo no tsuki In a hut of thatch, Alone, I gaze, Through the passing years At a lonely mountain lit By the moon on autumn nights…
Round Eleven
Left
おぼつかないづれうらごの山ならんみなくれなゐにみゆる紅葉ば
obotsukana izure urago no yama naran mina kurenai ni miyuru momijiba How strange it is— Where is Urago Mountain, I wonder? When all the same scarlet Seem the autumn leaves…
Kiyosuke 93
Right (Win)
大ゐ河きしのもみぢのちるをりは浪にたたするにしきとぞみる
ōigawa kishi no momiji no chiru ori wa nami ni tatasuru nishiki to zo miru At the River Ōi, When the scarlet leaves upon the bank Come to fall, Cut out by the waves, Does their brocade appear!
Mikawa 94
When I listen to the Left I wonder what on earth it’s actually about—the end seems redolent of love. The Right doesn’t seem to have any particular faults, so it should win.
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'Simply moving and elegant'