Round Two

Left

鶯は春をしりてもなきぬなる我が身は春をしらでこそなけ

uguisu wa haru o shiritemo nakinunaru wa ga mi wa haru o shirade koso nake

The warbler Knowing of the springtime Cries out, but My sorry self, of spring All unknowing, cries.

Masashige
3

Right (Win)

杣人よをののおとしばしとどめなん谷の鶯はつねなくなり

somabito yo ono no oto shibashi todomenan tani no uguisu hatsune nakunari

O, woodcutter, Your axe’s sound, briefly Won’t you stop? For the warbler in the valley Has let out his first call…

Kenshō
4

The Left’s poem, too, is smooth; the Right poem’s diction is halting, but its conception does not sound bad. It should win, I’d say.