Cicadas (蟬)
夏山のならのひろ葉にかくろへてこのもかのもに鳴く蟬のこゑ
| natsuyama no nara no hiroha ni kakuroete konomo kanomo ni naku semi no koe | In the summer mountains In the broad-leaved oaks Concealed, From here and from there Are the cries of singing cicadas. |
Kanemasa
Tag Archives: Nara
MYS XII: 3048
Shūigusōingai 348
Summer II: 5
Left (Tie).
尋入る楢の葉陰の重なりてさてしもかろき夏衣かな
| tazuneiru nara no hakage no kasanarite sateshimo karoki natsugoromo kana |
Entering within The oak leaves’ shade, Layer upon layer; Still, how light Is my summer garb! |
249
Right (Tie).
花の色の袖は重ねし物なれどひとへに惜しき蝉の羽衣
| hana no iro no sode wa kasaneshi mono naredo hitoe ni oshiki semi no hagoromo |
Cherry blossom hued Sleeves lay one upon the other And yet now, A single, deep regret: For the cicada’s gossamer garb… |
The Provisional Master of the Empress’ Household Office.
250
Neither team has any criticisms to make this round.
Shunzei merely remarks, ‘The Left’s poem has “still, how light” (sateshimo karoki) and the Right’s “sleeves lay one upon the other and yet now” (sode wa kasaneshi mono naredo): both of these are only close to the topic, I feel. The round ties.’
Summer I: 5
Left (Win).
わが宿の庭こそ暗くなりにけれ楢の廣葉の陰やそふらん
| wa ga yado no niwa koso kuraku narinikere nara no hiroha no kage ya souran |
My lodging’s Garden much darker Has become; Have the broad-leaved oaks Laid shadows down? |
189
Right.
紅葉ゆへ植へし梢のあさみどり色には秋を思ふのみかは
| momiji yue ueshi kozue no asamidori iro ni wa aki o omou nomi ka wa |
For scarlet leaves I planted trees – tops now Pale green; For the hues of autumn Alone I hope no longer. |
190
The Right state bluntly, ‘Using ‘darker’ (kuraku) in this poem is highly vulgar!’ But the Left snap back, ‘Composing with “darker” is completely commonplace.’ They have no comments to make about the Right’s poem.
Shunzei remarks, ‘The Left’s “garden much darker” (niwa koso kuraku) has nothing problematic about it. “Broad-leaved oaks” (nara no hiroha), although a commonplace expression, is undesirable here. The purport of the Right’s “for the hues of autumn” (iro ni wa aki o) seems rather contrived, yet one wonders if “scarlet leaves” (momiji yue) might not be concealed beneath the “broad-leaved oaks”! The Left’s poem, being more unaffected, wins.’