中空に雪もやられずおぼつかな霞はれせぬ志賀の山越
| nakazora ni yuki mo yararezu obotsukana kasumi haresenu shiga no yamagoe |
In the centre of the skies There is no snow at all, but Hidden Ever in the haze is The path across the Shiga Mountains. |
Tag Archives: snow
Eikyū hyakushu 62
Horikawa hyakushu 1076
Tametadake godo hyakushu 545
KKS I: 60
Winter II: 28
Left.
あまたたび竹の灯し火かゝげてぞ三世の佛の名をば唱る
| amata tabi take no tomoshibi kakagete zo miyo no hotoke no na oba tonaeru |
Many times The torches of bamboo Are flourished, and The three worlds’ Buddhas’ Names proclaimed. |
595
Right.
明やらぬ夜の間の雪は積もるとも氷れる罪や空に消らん
| akeyaranu yo no ma no yuki wa tsumoru tomo kōreru tsumi ya sora ni kiyuran |
There’s no light Within this night of snowfall Drifting, yet My frozen sins Do vanish into the skies… |
596
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we must say that the Left’s poem has no faults. The Gentlemen of the Left state: we wonder about the expression ‘frozen sins’ (kōreru tsumi).
Shunzei’s judgement: saying ‘torches of bamboo’ (take no tomoshibi) in order to refer to the ‘three worlds’ Buddhas’, is a somewhat unusual expression. The Right’s ‘my frozen sins do vanish into the skies’ (kōreru tsumi ya sora ni kiyuran) seems elegant [yū ni miehaberu], but refers only to the sins vanishing, and the conception of the Buddhas’ names seems somewhat lacking. Comparing the two poems, they must tie.
Winter II: 24
Left.
引きかくる閨の衾の隔てにも響きは變る鐘の音かな
| hikikakuru neya no fusuma no hedate ni mo hibiki wa kawaru kane no oto kana |
Drawn up beneath The covers in my bedchamber, and With them between The echo is somehow different When the bells chime… |
587
Right (Win).
雪の夜の思ふばかりも冴えぬこそ閨の衾のしるしなりけれ
| yuki no yo no omou bakari mo saenu koso neya no fusuma no shirushi narikere |
It is a snowy night I know, yet There is no chill: The covers in my bedchamber Have that effect! |
588
The Gentlemen of the Right state: why have the ‘bell’ (kane) here? The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults.
Shunzei’s judgement: the Left’s poem, having the poet buried beneath his bedclothes, which alter the sound of the bell recollects a composition on the ‘bell at the Temple of Bequeathed Love’. Nevertheless, the Gentlemen of the Right have asked, ‘Why have the bell here?’, and they are right to do so. The Right’s poem, on how the feeling of cold on a chill, snowy night vanishes briefly, exactly conveys the ‘bedding’s effect’ (fusuma no shirushi). Thus, it is without fault. I must make the Right the winner.
Winter II: 12
Left (Win).
清水もる谷の戸ぼそも閉ぢはてゝ氷を叩く嶺の松風
| shimizu moru tani no toboso mo tojihatete kōri o tataku mine no matsukaze |
Where spring waters flow From out the valley mouth Is stopped; Against the ice strikes The wind from off the pine-filled peaks. |
563
Right.
梢にも夜半の白雪積もるらし音弱り行嶺の松風
| kozue ni mo yowa no shirayuki tsumorurashi oto yowariyuku mine no matsukaze |
The treetops, too, Within the snows tonight Are buried, it seems: The sounds have softened of The wind from off the pine-filled peaks. |
564
Neither Left nor Right find any fault.
Shunzei’s judgement: The phrasing of both poems, such as ‘wind from off the pine-filled peaks’ (mine no matsukaze), ‘Against the ice strikes’ (kōri o tataku) and ‘sounds have softened’ (oto yowariyuku), has not particular strong or weak points [kōotsu nakuhaberedo], but still, ‘against the ice strikes’ seems a little superior.
Winter II: 11
Left.
雪埋む松を緑に吹返し見せも聞かせも山おろしの風
| yuki uzumu matsu o midori ni fukikaeshi mise mo kikase mo yama oroshi no kaze |
Buried in the snows, The pines to green Are blown back, Sight and sound both from The wind down the mountains. |
561
Right.
さえさえて梢の雲を返す也尾上の松の雪の浦風
| saesaete kozue no kumo o kaesu nari onoue no matsu no yuki no urakaze |
Frozen with chill, The treetop-touching clouds Fly away; The pines of Onoue, Blown free from the snows by the wind from off the bay… |
562
Neither team finds any fault with the other’s poem.
Shunzei’s judgement: This round the poems of Left and Right both describe memorable scenes. The Left’s ‘pines to green are blown back’ (matsu o midori ni fukikaeshi) and the Right’s ‘pines of Onoue, blown free from the snows by the wind from off the bay’ (onoue no matsu no yuki no urakaze) are equivalently excellent in conception and diction [kokoro kotoba shōretsu naku miehaberi]. This must be a tie of quality [yoki ji].
Winter II: 9
Left.
あらはれてまた埋もるゝ雪のうちにさも年深き松の色かな
| arawarete mata utsumoruru yuki no uchi ni sa mo toshi fukaki matsu no iro kana |
Appearing and Then buried once more By the snows: How ancient are The pine trees’ constant hues… |
557
Right (Win).
いかなれば冬にしられぬ色ながら松しも風のさびしかるらん
| ikanareba fuyu ni shirarenu iro nagara matsu shi mo kaze no sabishikaruran |
Why is it that, All unknowing that ‘tis winter In their hue, The pines’ rustling in the wind Is so sad? |
558
Both Left and Right say the other team’s poem is ‘not bad’ [ashikaranu].
Shunzei’s judgement: While the initial section of the Left’s poem is splendid [yū], I feel that the later ‘How ancient are’ (sa mo toshi fukaki) goes too far [sa made mo haberazaran]. The Right’s ‘Why is it that’ (ikanareba) is an expression I am unable to accept [shokisubekarazu], the later ‘pines’ rustling in the wind’ (matsu shi mo kaze no) sounds most fine, does it not? Thus, the Right should win.