Left
白露ぞ霜となりける冬のよはあまの河さへ水こほりけり
| shiratsuyu zo shimo to narikeru fuyu no yo wa ama no kawa sae mizu kōrikeri | Silver dewdrops Have turned to frost On this winter’s night Even the River of Heaven’s Waters have frozen. |
153
Right
冬の海に降りいる雪やそこにゐて春たつ浪の花とさくらん
| fuyu no umi ni furi’iru yuki ya soko ni ite haru tatsu nami no hana to sakuran | Upon the sea in winter, Falling down, is the snow: Does it rest upon the bed and With the waves breaking in springtime Bloom into blossom? |
154
Left
霜のうへに跡ふみつくる浜千鳥行へもなしと鳴きのみぞふる
| shimo no ue ni ato fumitsukuru hamachidori yukue mo nashi to naki nomi zo suru | Upon the frost Treading out tracks are Plovers on the beach; With no place to go, They simply sing! |
Okikaze
141
Right
なみだ川みなぐばかりの淵はあれど氷とけねばかげもやどらぬ
| namidagawa mi nagu bakari no fuchi wa aredo kōri tokeneba kage mo yadoranu | My river of tears, Is fit to drown me in It’s depths, yet Should the ice not melt, No sign will linger on… |
142
Left
古郷をおもひやれども郭公こぞのごとくになれぞなくなる[1]
| furusato o omoiyaredomo hototogisu kozo no gotoku ni nare zo nakunaru | My ancient home Lingers fondly in my thoughts, yet The cuckoo Just as last year Sings as he was accustomed to do! |
49
Right
夏の夜の霜やおけるとみるまでに荒れたる宿を照す月かげ
| natsu no yo no shimo ya okeru to miru made ni aretaru yado o terasu tsukikage | Upon a summer night That frost has fallen It does appear at A ruined dwelling where The moonlight shines. |
50[2]
[1] The concluding two lines of this poem are missing from the contest’s text, but have been supplied by later scholarship.
[2] Kokin rokujō I: 286/A minor variant of this poem is included in Mandaishū (III: 730), with the headnote ‘A poem from the Poetry Contest in One Hundred Rounds held by the Tōin Empress’ なつのよもしもやおけると見るまでにあれたるやどをてらすつきかな natsu no yo no / shimo ya okeru to / miru made ni / aretaru yado o / terasu tsuki kana ‘Upon a summer night / That frost has fallen / It does appear at / A ruined dwelling where / The moon does shine!’
Winter
Round Eleven
Left
霜のうへにふる初雪の朝氷とけむほどこそひさしかりけれ
| shimo no ue ni furu hatsuyuki no asagōri tokemu hodo koso hisashikarikere | Upon the frosts Falls first snow, turning Icy in the morning; The time when it will melt is Far away, indeed. |
20[1]
Right (Win)
いつのまにふりつもりけんみよしのの山のかひよりくづれ落つる雪
| itsu no ma ni furitsumoriken miyoshino no yama no kai yori kuzure’otsuru yuki | All of a sudden Has it fallen and piled high In fair Yoshino The mountain passes are Blocked by fallen snow. |
21
[1] Kokin rokujō I: 696
Composed on the conception of being buried in frosty fallen leaves.
落ちつもる庭の木の葉を夜のほどにはらひてけりと見する朝霜
| otitumoru niwa no ko no Fa wo yo no hodo ni FaraFitekeri to misuru asasimo | Fallen, piled high at My estate, the leaves from the trees Within the space of a single night Have been swept away, It seems, by the morning frost. |
Anonymous
On the day of an imperial visit to the Naniwa Palace, in Kyōun 3 [706].
あし辺ゆくかものはがひにしもふりてさむきゆふべのことをしぞおもふ
| ashibe yuku kamo no hagai ni shimo furite samuki yūbe no koto o shi zo omou | Huddled in the reeds Upon the ducks’ folded wings Frost falls and In the evening’s cold My mind is full of thoughts. |
The Tawara Emperor
Colours of chrysanthemums at the base of a fence (籬菊色色)
Left
いろいろにうつろふ風のそがぎくはしなじなよはの霜やおくらん
| iroiro ni utsurou kaze no sogagiku wa shinajina yowa no shimo ya okuran | Hues Shifting with the breeze Are the yellow chrysanthemums: Is it because of night’s differing Frostfall, perhaps? |
A Court Lady
25
Right
おく霜にまがきのきくをみわたせばいろいろにこそうつろひにけれ
| oku shimo ni magaki no kiku o miwataseba iroiro ni koso utsuroinikere | Frost has fallen upon The chrysanthemums by the rough-hewn fence, and When I gaze across them, How their hues Have faded away! |
A Court Lady
26
