Left
さかざらむものならなくにさくらばなおもかげにのみまだきみゆらむ
sakazaramu mono naranaku ni sakurabana nao mo kage ni nomi madaki miyuramu Wishing not to bloom
Mitsune
Right
やまざくらさきぬるときはつねよりもみねのしらくもたちまさりけり
yamazakura sakinuru toki wa tsune yori mo mine no shirakumo tachimasarikeri When the mountain cherry
Tsurayuki[i]
The Left uses ‘wish’[ii] twice; the Right places the mountain cherries at a distance—that make the round a tie.
[i] This poem is included in Gosenshū (I: 118), with the headnote, ‘A poem from Former Emperor Uda’s Poetry Contest’.
[ii] Uda is objecting to Mitsune’s double usage of the auxiliary verb -ramu in his judgement here.
Love without meeting
Left (Win)
あふことのかたきしなればしらなみのたちよるかずはわれのみぞしる
au koto no katakishi nareba shiranami no tachiyoru kazu wa ware nomi zo shiru Meeting you is
21
Right
あはむとはおもひわたれどふじかはのすまずはつひにかげもみえじを
awamu to wa omoi wataredo fujikawa no sumazu wa tsui ni kage mo mieji o To meet her
Mitsune
On wisteria by a pond.
池水に梢の藤のかげみえて汀はかはるなみのいろかな
ikemizu ni In the pond waters
Ton’a (1289-1372)
Composed at the Kameyama Palace in the Eighth Month, Kenji 2 [1276], when the first topic announced was ‘the shape of a pine tree floating in a pond’.
万代とかめのを山の松かげをうつしてすめるやどの池水
yorozuyo to For ten thousand generations
The Retired Emperor [Kameyama]
Left
いつの間に花かれにけむながくだにありせば夏のかげとみましを
itsu no ma ni hana karenikemu nagaku dani ariseba natsu no kage to mimashi o In an instant
66
Right
幾千たび鳴きかへるらむ足引の山ほととぎす声はわすれて
ikuchi tabi nakikaeruramu ashihiki no yamahototogisu koe wa wasurete How many thousand times,
67
Autumn
Left
秋の夜の有明にみれど久堅の月のかつらはうつろはぬかな
aki no yo no ariake ni miredo hisakata no tsuki no katsura wa utsurouwanu kana An autumn night’s
13
秋萩の花咲く比の白露は下ばのためとわきて置くべし
aki hagi no hana saku koro no shiratsuyu wa shitaba no tame to wakite okubeshi In autumn, the bush clover
14
秋風はいなばもそよとふきつめりかりみる程と成りやしぬらん
akikaze wa inaba mo soyo to fukitsumeri kari miru hodo to nari ya shinuran The autumn breeze
15
Right
銀河とわたる舟は花薄ほにいづるほどぞかげもみゆべき
ama no kawa towataru fune wa hanasusuki ho ni izuru hodo zo kage mo miyubeki Across the River of Heaven
16
女郎花さがの花をば色ながら秋をさかりといはれずもがな
ominaeshi saga no hana oba iro nagara aki o sakari to iwarezu mogana Maidenflowers:
17
小男鹿の朝たつ霧にうりふ山嶺の梢は色こかりけり
saoshika no asa tatsu kiri ni urifuyama mine no kozue wa iro kokarikeri Stags
18
よし野河ながれて過ぐるとしなみにたちゐのかげも暮れにけるかな
yoshinogawa The River Yoshino
Ōe no Masafusa
すべらぎのながゐの池は水すみてのどかにちよのかげぞ見えける
suberagi no Our Sovereign’s
Higo
Mandarin Ducks 鴛鴦
山河にともなきをしはかげをみてひとつがひある心ちすらしも
yamakawa ni In a mountain stream
Kanemasa
Left (Tie).
yasurai ni
Reluctantly
Lord Sada’ie .
Right.
oroka ni mo
Heedlessly
Nobusada .
The Right state: we cannot grasp the sense of the Left’s poem. The Left state: we are unable to understand the reason for the Right’s use of ‘heedlessly’ (oroka ni mo ).
In judgement: while both poems do appear to have some conception, the Gentlemen of both Left and Right appear to have stated that they are unable to grasp it. Far be it from me to provide an interpretation in the light of this, so I shall follow the Gentlemen’s remarks and make this round a tie.
'Simply moving and elegant'