Left (Win).
桃の花枝さしかはす陰なれば浪にまかせんけふのさか月
| momo no hana eda sashikawasu kage nareba nami ni makasen kyō no sakazuki |
Peach blossoms Thrust from the bough Spreading shade, so To the waves I shall entrust My wine-cup today. |
155
Right.
さか月の流れとゝもに匂らしけふの花吹く春の山風
| sakazuki no nagare totomo ni niourashi kyō no hana fuku haru no yamakaze |
With the wine-cups’ Drift Scent seems to come: Blowing through the blossoms today is The mountains’ breath of spring. |
156
The Right state that it is ‘difficult to find any imperfections in the Left’s poem,’ while the Left say that the Right’s ‘blowing through the blossoms’ (hana fuku) is ‘grating on the ear.’ (They probably make this comment because hana fuku sounded too close to the verb hanafuku which had the rather prosaic meaning of ‘sneeze’!)
Shunzei’s judgement is, ‘The Left have stated that the Right’s hana fuku grates on the ear, but it would seem to be following the spirit of the lines:
Gently blows the breeze in early dawn;
Wordless,
A mouth starts to smile.
However, as has been said, there are no imperfections in the Left’s poem, as so it should win.’ (According to the commentators, ‘a wordless mouth’ was a metaphor used for blossom, although the source of the lines Shunzei quotes is now obscure.)
Left (Win).
唐人の跡を伝ふるさかづきの浪にしたがふけふも來にけり
| karahito no ato o tsutauru sakazuki no nami ni shitagau kyō mo kininkeri |
How Cathay folk Did long ago, ‘tis told; With wine cups, Trailing ‘long the waves Has this day come. |
147
Right.
植へをきし賤が心は桃の花弥生のけふぞ見るべかりける
| ueokishi shizu ga kokoro wa momo no hana yayoi no kyō zo mirubekarikeru |
‘Twas planted, long ago, and now The peasants’ hearts, Peach blossom On this Third Month day Must see. |
148
Both teams say they have no criticisms, as before.
Shunzei, however, says, ‘The Left’s poem, as in the last round, draws on an ancient example of the Waterside Poetry Party. The Right’s, “The peasants’ hearts, on this Third Month day must see”, however, is extremely difficult to grasp, and certainly prosaic, is it not? The Left must win.’