omoiwabi koiji ni mayou shirube ni wa namida bakari zo saki ni tachikeru
Suffering with passion, and Lost upon the paths of love My guide is Simply my tears that Set out before me.
Consultant and Middle Captain Tadanori 9
The reply, written in a style to blend in with the picture on the paper, of a many-petalled safflower, and attached to a stem of bellflower, made from metal.
恋路をばふみだに見じと思ふみに何かはかかる涙なるらん
koiji oba fumi dani miji to omou mi ni nani ka wa kakaru namida naruran
Upon the path of love I’ve not seen you take even one step I feel, so Why might you show such Tears, I wonder?
Left and Right together state: there is no reason to make any criticisms here.
In judgement: although ‘beckon’ (sasou) in the Left’s poem should be ‘send’ (okuru), it is certainly elegant how it evokes thoughts of Captain Cheng travelling along the valley. The Right, beginning with ‘kindling’ (mashiba) and then having ‘grief in logs’ (nageki) sounds a little too similar, I think. The Left should win.