Left (Tie).
色かへぬよはひは知らず夏木立みどりは松にかはらざりけり
| iro kaenu yowai wa shirazu natsu kodachi midori wa matsu ni kawazarikeri |
Are their hues unchanging Through the ages – that I do no know; Summer clustered trees’ Green on the pines Will alter not! |
185
Right (Tie).
あらはれん秋をも知らぬかえでかなときはの色をしばし盗みて
| arawaren aki o mo shiranu kaede kana tokiwa no iro o shibashi nusumite |
They’ll be found out! All unknowing of the autumn are The maple trees; The eternal pine trees’ hue Steal, if only briefly… |
186
The Right simply say, ‘The Left’s poem contains major faults,’ while the Left reply, ‘The Right’s poem’s “maple trees” (kaede kana) and “Steal, if only briefly” (shibashi nusumite) are vulgar in the extreme!’ (By this they mean that nusumu (‘steal’) is inappropriate for poetry, as is the impression given that the maples have volition.)
Shunzei comments, ‘That the Left’s poem contains faults has already been mentioned by the Right. The Right’s poem though has the form of an eccentric poem, and one must wonder about granting sensitivity to maple trees, so the round must tie.’