かりのみとうはのそらなるなみだこそあきのたもとのつゆとおくらめ
kari nomi to uwa no sora naru namida koso aki no tamoto no tsuyu to okurame | The geese simply from The skies above Do drop their tears; It is in autumn that my sleeves Seem to gather dewdrops. |
49
山がはのたきつせしばしよどまなむあきのもみぢのいろとめて見む
yamagawa no takitsuse shibashi yodomanamu aki no momiji no iro tomete mimu | The mountain river’s Rapids seem briefly Stilled; Autumn’s scarlet leaves’ Hues have halted it, I see. |
50
ひとしれぬなみだやそらにくもりつつあきのしぐれとふりまさるらむ[1]
hito shirenu namida ya sora ni kumoritsutsu aki no shigure to furimasaruramu | Unknown to all With tears the skies Are ever clouded; The autumn drizzle Seems to fall the harder. |
47
あきくれば山とよむまでなくしかに我おとらめやひとりぬるよは
aki kureba yama toyomu made naku shika ni ware otorame ya hitori nuru yo wa | When the autumn comes The mountains echo with The belling stags; Will they lose to me These nights I sleep alone? |
48
[1] This poem appears in Fubokushō (5546), where it is attributed to [Ariwara no] Motokata.
Round Nine: Quiet thoughts at Tanabata
Left
八重葎しげる軒ばをかき分けて星合の空をながめつるかな
yae mugura shigeru nokiba o kakiwakete hoshiai no sora o nagametsuru kana | Eightfold thickets Grow lushly beneath my eaves; Pulling them apart upon The sky of trysting stars Will I turn my gaze! |
Taira no Sadatsugu[1]
17
Right
七夕のあふよの程は思ひやる心さへこそ空にすみけれ
tanabata no au yo no hodo wa omoiyaru kokoro sae koso sora ni sumikere | Tanabata is A night for meeting—throughout it I am filled with longing: Even my very heart Does dwell among the skies. |
Fujiwara no Kaneyuki[2]
18
[1] Taira no Sadatsugu 平貞継. The identity of this individual is unclear. This poem is his sole appearance in a poetry contest.
[2] 藤原兼行
あまのがはほしあひのそらをみるほどもなほわすられぬすずむしのこゑ
ama no gawa hoshiai no sora o miru hodo mo nao wasurarenu suzumushi no koe | The River of Heaven fills The sky of trysting stars, and When I gaze upon it Even less might I forget The bell crickets’ song. |
Lady Ukon
Zithers 筝
空の色によそへることのことぢをばつらなるかりとおもひけるかな
sora no iro ni yosoeru koto no kotoji o ba tsuranaru kari to omoikeru kana | The heavens’ hues I recall—my zither’s Bridges Aligned like geese Do seem to be! |
Nakazane
Flutes 笛
笛竹のよをさへ月やてらすらん空にも声のすみのぼるかな
fuetake no yo o sae tsuki ya terasuran sora ni mo koe no suminoboru kana | Is it the flute that Tonight does make the moon Seem to shine so bright? Into the sky its notes So clearly climb! |
Akinaka
Waterfalls 滝
たなばたのおりながしたる布なれや空よりおつる滝の気色は
tanabata no orinagashitaru nuno nare ya sora yori otsuru taki no keshiki wa | Has the Weaver Maid Spun out a stream Of cloth? From the skies tumbles A waterfall – or so it looks! |
Toshiyori
Stars 星
あまつ空夕の星のよそにても恋しき人をみるよしもがな
ama tsu sora yū no hoshi no yoso nite mo koishiki hito o miru yoshi mo gana | In the sky-spanning heavens The evening stars are So far away; If only my darling I could, somehow, see! |
Daishin
Stars 星
ひこぼしの心も空にはつ秋の七日の夜をやこひしかるらん
hikoboshi no kokoro mo sora ni hatsu’aki no nanuka no yo o ya koishikaruran | Does the Herd Boy’s Heart within the skies Find early autumn’s Seventh night The most dear of all? |
Kanemasa
Clouds 雲
くちなしの色にたなびくうき雲を雪げの空と誰かみざらん
kuchinashi no iro ni tanabiku ukigumo o yukige no sora to tare ka mizaran | Scarlet shot through with yellow Hues are the trailing, Drifting clouds, so The tint of snow within the skies Would be glimpsed by no one. |
Toshiyori
'Simply moving and elegant'