Round Three

Left (Win)

わがやどの梅がえになくうぐひすは風のたよりにかをやとめこし

wa ga yado no ume ga e ni naku uguisu wa kaze no tayori ni ka o ya tomekoshi

Upon my dwelling’s Branch of plum a’singing, Has the warbler By a message on the breeze Carrying fragrance perhaps been summoned? [i]

Asatada
5[ii]

Right

さほひめのいとそめかくるあをやぎをふきなみだりそ春の山風

saohime no ito somekakuru aoyagi o fuki na midari so haru no yamakaze

Princess Sao Has dyed the dangling threads of Green willow— O, don’t blow them into tangles, Spring breeze from the mountains!

Kanemori
6

Warblers should have appeared here, but this is a poem about willows, so it loses.

しろたへの雪ふりやまぬ梅がえにいまぞうぐひす花となくなる

shirotae no yuki furiyamanu ume ga e ni ima zo uguisu hana to nakunaru

White as mulberry cloth The snow falls unceasing— Upon the branch of plum, Now, indeed, the warbler, Sings of the blossom!

Kanemori
7

Despite the mistaken composition, His Majesty required the original poem and it was located and recited.

Lord Hiromasa, the Reciter for the Right, mistakenly recited the willow poem. The Left raised an objection, saying, ‘He should have recited the warbler poem but, instead, erroneously recited the willow poem. Should he really be allowed to recite the correct poem now?’ The substance of the Left’s objection was conveyed to His Majesty, who instructed, ‘Provide a report based on prior precedent.’

This minor official advised His Majesty, ‘The Left’s objection is not unreasonable. However, matters such as this are best determined according to the circumstance of the occasion. As this was simply human error, why discriminate against the poem?’

Thus, His Majesty ordered that the poem be recited.

When he did so, Lord Hiromasa turned pale and was unable to recite the poem straight away. Although he finally managed to do so, his voice trembled and the Left laughed at him. Furthermore, the poem’s diction contained the nonsensical expression ‘sings of the blossom’, and thus this was still a loss.

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[i] An allusive variation on: A poem from the Empress’ poetry competition held in the Kanpyō period. 花の香を風のたよりにたぐへてぞ鶯さそふしるべにはやる hana no ka o / kaze no tayori ni / taguete zo / uguisu sasou / shirube ni wa yaru ‘The blossoms’ scent / Messaged on the breeze / Brings / An invitation to the warbler / To try and bring him forth!’ Ki no Tomonori (Kokinshū I: 13)

[ii] This poem was included in Gyokuyōshū (I: 42), attributed to Asatada, with the headnote ‘On warblers, from the Palace Poetry Match in Tentoku 4’.