Tag Archives: mountains

Daikōtaigōgū daijin kiyosuke-ason ke uta’awase 22

Round Twenty-Two

Snow

Left (Win)

霜がれのまがきの中に雪ふれば菊より後の花もありけり

shimogare no
magaki no naka ni
yuki fureba
kiku yori nochi no
hana mo arikeri
When, burned by frost,
Within my lattice fence
There is a fall of snow,
After the chrysanthemums,
There are flowers, even so.

Suketaka
43

Right

花さけば雪かとみせて雪ふれば花かとみするみよしのの山

hana sakeba
yuki ka to misete
yuki fureba
hana ka to misuru
miyoshino no yama
When the blossom blooms
I wonder if ‘tis snow, and
When the snow does fall
I wonder if ‘tis blossom
In the mountains of fair Yoshino.

Kūnin
44

Both are elegant, but even so the Right should lose.

Daikōtaigōgū daijin kiyosuke-ason ke uta’awase 17

Round Seventeen

Left

夜もすがらをばすて山の月をみて昔にかよふ我がこころかな

yomosugara
obasuteyama no
tsuki o mite
mukashi kayou
wa ga kokoro kana
All night long
At Mount Obasute
Gazing upon the moon—
Drifting back to days gone by
Goes my heart!

Lord Kiyosuke
33

Right (Win)

山のはに雲のよこぎるよひのまは出でても月ぞ猶またれける

yama no ha ni
kumo no yokogiru
yoi no ma wa
idete mo tsuki zo
nao matarekeru
Along the mountains’ edge
Trail clouds
Throughout the night, so
Even as it rises, the moon
I am yet awaiting!

Atsuyori
34

Daikōtaigōgū daijin kiyosuke-ason ke uta’awase 10

Round Ten

Left (Win)

よひのまぞ人をばまちしほととぎすあくるまでこそねられざりけれ

yoi no ma zo
hito oba machishi
hototogisu
akuru made koso
nerarezarikere
All night long
Did I await him once, but
T’is the cuckoo:
Even more until the dawn, that
Keeps me from my sleep!

Shun’e
19

Right

花はすぎ紅葉はまだき夏山にをりえてもなく時鳥かな

hana wa sugi
momiji wa madaki
natsuyama ni
oriete mo naku
hototogisu kana
The blossoms are past, and
Scarlet leaves have yet to come;
In the summer mountains
How lively sings
The cuckoo!

Kenshō
20

The Left’s poem certainly commands one’s interest.

Entō ōn’uta’awase 16

Round Sixteen

Left

桜さく吉野の山の山風にふもとをこめて花にほふらし

sakura saku
yoshino no yama no
yamakaze ni
fumoto o komete
hana niourashi
Cherries bloom
In the mountains of Yoshino, where
The mountain breezes
Make even the foothills
Aglow with blossom.

Tomoshige
31

Right (Win)

花の色はあまりにけりなつくばねのこのもかのもにかかる白雲

hana no iro wa
amarinikeri na
tsukubane no
kono mo kano mo ni
kakaru shirakumo
The blossoms’ hues
Have overflowed[1]
The peak of Tsukuba—
Near and far, both,
Draped with clouds of white.[2]

Dharma Master Zenshin
32

The Left’s poem has no faults worth mentioning and, furthermore, is not particularly remarkable. The Right’s poem refers to the peak of Tsukuba; while this is generally thought of as a mountain, it is not necessarily limited to mountains and there are, I think, a bunch of instances where it means a place with lots of trees; however, because here it also conveys the conception of mountains, from the use of pleasant poetic technique, the Right should win.


[1] Zenshin is clearly referencing Ono no Komachi’s famous: Topic unknown. 花の色はうつりにけりないたづらにわが身世にふるながめせしまに hana no iro wa / utsurinikeri na / itazura ni / wa ga mi yo ni furu / nagame seshi ma ni ‘The blossoms’ hues / Have already faded away, / While in idle thoughts / My life goes by, / As I watch the long rains fall.’ (KKS II: 113).

[2] An allusive variation on: Eastern poem: a poem from Hitachi. 筑波嶺のこのもかのもに影はあれど君がみかげにます陰はなし tsukuba ne no / kono mo kano mo ni / kage aredo / kimi ga mikage ni / masu kage wa nashi ‘On the peak of Tsukuba / Here and there / Lie shadows, yet / To your shadow, my love (my Lord) / They cannot compare!’ Anonymous (KKS XX: 1095).