Round Five

Left (Win)

くらゐやまみねのさくらをかざしても人はものをやなほおもふらむ

kuraiyama mine no sakura o kazashitemo hito wa mono o ya nao omouramu

Even should I Mount Kurai’s Cherry blossom from the peak Wear in my hair, As a man would such gloomy Thoughts still fill me?

Lord Sane’ie
109

Right

ありてこそあらぬすがたになりもせめうしとていかがみをばなぐべき

arite koso aranu sugata ni nari mo seme ushi tote ikaga mi oba nagubeki

I live on, so My former state I have abandoned; How can I all the cruelties Cast from my flesh?

Atsuyori
110

The Left’s configuration and conception are truly charming. The writer is troubled, isn’t he! In particular, the configuration of ‘As a man would such gloomy / Thoughts still fill me?’ sounds especially pleasant. For the Right, the tone of ‘How can I all the cruelties’ also seems pleasant, but still, I make the Left the winner.