Tag Archives: scarlet

Kanpyō no ōntoki chūgū uta’awase 7

Autumn

Round Seven

Left

秋山はからくれなゐに成りにけりいくしほしぐれふりてそめけん

akiyama wa
karakurenai ni
narinikeri
iku shio shigure
furite someken
The autumn mountains
To Cathay scarlet
Have turned;
How many dippings with drizzle
Have fallen to dye them so?

13[1]

Right (Win)

秋きぬとめにはさやかにみえねども風の音にぞおどろかれぬる

aki kinu to
me ni wa sayaka ni
mienedomo
kaze no oto ni zo
odorokarenuru
That autumn has come
With my eyes, clearly,
I cannot see, yet
The sound of the wind
Has startled me.

Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 14[2]


[1] Shokugosenshū VII: 429

[2] This poem was particularly highly evaluated and so is included in numerous other anthologies (Kokin rokujō I: 125), exemplary collections (Shinsen waka 2) and senka awase – contests assembled from prior poems (Shunzei sanjū roku nin uta’awase 61; Jidai fudō uta’awase 49).

Koresada shinnō-ke uta’awase 18

よもぎふに露のおきしくあきのよはひとりぬるみもそでぞぬれける

yomogyū ni
tsuyu no okishiku
aki no yo wa
hitori nuru mi mo
sode zo nurekeru
Upon the mugwort
The dew falls, scattered
On an autumn night;
Sleeping alone, my
Sleeves are drenched, indeed!

35

あしひきの山べによするしらなみはくれなゐふかくあきぞ見えける

ashihiki no
yamabe ni yosuru
shiranami wa
kurenai fukaku
aki zo miekeru
Upon the leg-wearying
Mountain meadows break
The whitecaps;
A deeper scarlet
Does autumn reveal.

36

San’i minamoto no hirotsune ason uta’awase 12

Scarlet leaves dyed with dew (露染紅葉)

Left

白露のそむる紅葉のいかなればから紅にふかくみゆらん

shiratsuyu no
somuru momiji no
ikanareba
karakurenai ni
fukaku miyuran
When silver dewdrops
Stain the autumn leaves
What happens, but
Their scarlet hues
Seem all the deeper.

A Court Lady
23

Right

いかにおくしら露なれば紅葉ばのくれなゐふかく色をそむらん

ika ni oku
shiratsuyu nareba
momijiba no
kurenai fukaku
iro o somuran
How can they fall—
These silver dewdrops—so
The autumn leaves with
Ever deeper scarlet
Hues are dyed?

A Court Lady
24

Uhyōe shōjō sadafumi uta’awase 4

Scarlet lotus flowers floating on marsh water (緑沼紅蓮浮)

Left (Win)

みどりぬにうきたるはちすくれなゐにみづにごるなり波たつなゆめ

midorinu ni
ukitaru hatisu
kurenawi ni
midu nigorunari
nami tatu na yume
Upon the green marsh
Floats a lotus
Its scarlet
Stains the waters –
O, rise not, you waves!

6

Right

紅のはちすうきたるみどりぬにしら波たてばこきまぜの花

kurenawi no
Fatisu ukitaru
midorinu ni
siranami tateba
kokimaze no Fana
Scarlet,
The lotus floats upon
The green marsh, but
When the whitecaps rise
All jumbled will the flowers be…

7[1]


[1]These poems are included in Fubokushō (XXIV: 11386) and (XXIV: 11387).

SKS VII: 218

Composed for the Poetry Competition held at the Residence of Middle Councillor Toshitada.

くれなゐの濃染の衣うへにきむこひのなみたの色かくるやと

kurenawi no
kosome no koromo
uFe ni kimu
koFi no namida  no
iro kakuru ya to
In scarlet
Deeply dyed, a robe
Would I put on
That my tears of love’s
Hue be concealed!

Fujiwara no Akitsuna
藤原顕綱