Tag Archives: storms

Love I: 16

Left (Win).

名に立てる音羽の瀧も音にのみ聞くより袖の濡るゝ物かは

na ni tateru
otowa no taki mo
oto ni nomi
kiku yori sode no
nururu mono ka wa
The name is known:
Otowa Falls
Sounds forth; and just
Hearing that
Is enough to soak my sleeves? Surely not!

Lord Ari’ie.

631

Right.

鹿の音も嵐にたぐふ鐘の音も聞くよりこそは袖は濡れしか

shika no ne mo
arashi no taguu
kane no oto mo
kiku yori koso wa
sode wa nureshika
The braying of the stags, and
With the storm wind
The tolling bells:
Hearing alone
Does soak my sleeves.

Nobusada.

632

The Gentlemen of the Right state: there is nothing worth mentioning in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: using ne (‘braying’) and oto (‘sound’) in the same poem is a fault [yamai].

Shunzei’s judgement: Both poems are tasteful in form [utazama wa yū] , but the Right’s does contain a fault, as the Left have stated. Thus, the Left should win.

Winter II: 2

Left (Win).

宿ごとに絶えぬ朝餉の煙さへ冬の氣色はさびしかりけり

yadogoto ni
taenu asake no
kemuri sae
fuyu no keshiki wa
sabishikarikeri
From every house
Unending is the breakfasts’
Smoke – and even that
Makes a winter scene
All the more lonely.

Lord Ari’ie.

543

Right.

朝まだき嵐は庭を渡れども雪には跡もつかぬ也けり

asa madaki
arashi wa niwa o
wataredomo
yuki ni wa ato mo
tsukanu narikeri
Early in the morning
The storm wind, o’er my garden
Gusts, yet
Upon the fallen snow no trace
It leaves.

Lord Tsune’ie.

544

The Right say the Left’s poem ‘isn’t bad’ [ashikarazu]. The Left say the Right’s poem is ‘commonplace’ [tsune no koto nari].

Shunzei’s judgement: Although the Left’s ‘unending is the breakfasts’ smoke – and even that’ (taenu asake no kemuri sae) is lacking in poetic qualities [utashina no naku wa haberedo], the gentlemen of the Right have judged it not to be bad. As for the Right, if a storm blows through a garden, even if there is no snow, surely there would be some trace of it, wouldn’t there? The Left should win.

Winter I: 19

Left (Win).

風寒み今日も霙の降る里は吉野の山の雪げなりけり

kaze samumi
kyō mo mizore no
furu sato wa
yoshino no yama no
yukige narikeri
A chill breeze brings
Sleet, today,
Falling as on the ancient estate on
Yoshino mountain
Did snows fall once…

A Servant Girl.

517

Right.

嵐吹く木葉こきまぜ霙降りさびしかりける山の奧かな

arashi fuku
konoha kokimaze
mizore furi
sabishikarikeru
yama no oku kana
The storm wind blows
Leaves mixed in with
Falling sleet;
How lonely it is
Here within the mountains…

Takanobu.

518

Neither team finds any fault with the other’s poem this round.

Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s ‘Sleet, today, falling as on the ancient estate’ (kyō mo mizore no furu sato wa), preceding ‘on Yoshino mountain did snows fall once’, reflects the conception of ‘Where once I lived, to the mount of Yoshino was so close’ (Furusato Fa yosino no yama si tikakereba) and seems splendid [ito yoroshiku miehabere]. The Right’s ‘How lonely it is here within the mountains’ (sabishikarikeru yama no oku kana) as a final section is most acceptable in terms of style [mottomo shokisubeki no tei], but the initial ‘leaves mixed in’ (konoha kokimaze) sounds as if this had been done with some human hand. Thus, the Left with matched initial and final sections, must win.

Winter I: 6

Left (Tie).

散果てん木葉の音を殘しても色こそなけれ嶺の松風

chirihaten
ko no ha no oto o
nokoshitemo
iro koso nakere
mine no matsukaze
Completely scattered
Are the leaves, but the sound
Remains
Lacking only the hue
As the wind blows through the pines on the peak.

A Servant Girl.

491

Right.

時雨ゆく松の緑は空晴て嵐にくもる峰の紅葉葉

shigure yuku
matsu no midori wa
sora harete
arashi ni kumoru
mine no momijiba
Is drizzle falling
On the pines so green?
The skies are clear,
Clouded only by a storm
Of scarlet leaves from the peaks…

Jakuren.

492

The Right have no criticisms to make of the Left’s poem. The Left state that they find the Right’s poem, ‘difficult to grasp’. In reply, the Right say, ‘It is conceived after a Chinese poem that “the wind in the pines is the sound of rain”.’

Shunzei’s judgement: The Left’s poem is excellent in both configuration and diction [sugata kotoba yoroshiku haberumere]. The Right’s ‘clouded only by a storm’ (arashi ni kumoru) sounds charming in conception [kokoro okashiku kikoyu] – even without drawing upon the Chinese model. In this round, too, there is no clear winner or loser and it must tie.

Winter I: 4

Left.

山里は梢さびしく散果てゝ嵐の音も庭の枯葉に

yamazato wa
kozue sabishiku
chirihatete
arashi no oto mo
niwa no kareba ni
In a mountain home
The treetops, desolately,
Are completely bare;
The storm-wind’s sound
Is in my garden’s withered leaves…

Lord Ari’ie.

487

Right (Win).

木葉散る外山の暮を分行ば袖に嵐の聲ぞ砕くる

ko no ha chiru
toyama no kure o
wakeyukeba
sode ni arashi no
koe zo kudakuru
All the leaves are fallen, as
Through the distant mountain’s dusk
I make my way;
Upon my sleeves, the storm-wind’s
Cry is shattered.

Ietaka.

488

The Right state that the Left’s poem ‘seems superficially appealing, but actually has nothing remarkable about it.’ The Left question how the poet can ‘make his way through the dusk’ (kure o wakeyuku) and ‘shatter’ (kudakuru) the wind.

Shunzei’s judgment: The lower section of the Left’s poem is charming [okashiku koso haberu], but the initial section is frequently used, and old fashioned [tsune no furugoto nite]. The Right’s shattering of the wind in ‘the distant mountains’ dusk’ is a questionable expression [obotsukanaki yō], but the Left’s initial section really does sound as if it lacks any artistry [muisugite kikoyu]. The Right’s total effect is most fine [sugata yoroshiku miehaberi]. It should win.

Autumn III: 12

Left (Win).

時分かぬ浪さへ色に泉川柞の杜に嵐吹らし

toki wakanu
nami sae iro ni
izumigawa
hahaso no mori ni
arashi fukurashi
Ever unchanging,
Even the waves have coloured
On Izumi River;
In the oak groves
Have the wild winds blown.

Lord Sada’ie.

443

Right.

秋深き岩田の小野の柞原下葉は草の露や染らん

aki fukaki
iwata no ono no
hahasowara

shitaba wa kusa no
tsuyu ya somuran
Autumn’s deep at
Iwata-no-Ono
In the oak groves
Have the lower leaves by grass
Touched dewfall been dyed?

Ietaka.

444

Neither team has any criticisms to make of the other’s poem.

Shunzei’s judgement: The total effect of the Left’s ‘even the waves have coloured on Izumi River’ (nami sae iro in izumigawa) is most superior [sugata wa yū narubeshi]. However, there does not appear to be any element linked to the final section’s ‘wild winds’ (arashi) in the initial part of the poem. The Right has ‘have the lower leaves by grass touched dewfall been dyed?’ (shitaba wa kusa no tsuyu ya somuran), without, in the initial section having an expression like ‘treetops stained by showers’ (kozue wa shigure somu), and I wonder about having the lower leaves on the trees touched by ‘dewfall on the grass’ (kusa no tsuyu). The Left’s ‘have the wild winds blown’ should win.

Summer II: 25

Left (Win).

あらし吹く梢はるかに鳴蝉の秋を近しと空に告ぐ也

arashi fuku
kozue haruka ni
naru semi no
aki o chikashi to
sora o tsugu nari
A storm wind blows
The distant treetops, where
The cicadas sing
Of coming autumn
To the skies.

Lord Sada’ie.

289

Right.

茂りあふ青き紅葉の下涼み暑さは蝉の聲にゆづりぬ

shigeriau
aoki momiji no
shita suzumi
atsusa wa semi no
koe in yuzurinu
Lush and
Green beneath the maple leaves
‘Tis cool;
The heat by cicadas
Song is summoned.

Nobusada.

290

The Right state that, ‘“Sing…to the skies” (sora o tsugu) goes against the spirit of the topic,’ while the Left wonder, ‘What we can make of “green maple leaves” (aoki momiji)?’

Shunzei states, ‘The Left’s “sing of coming autumn to the skies” (aki o chikashi to sora o tsugu nari) is superlative. The Right’s “green maple leaves” (aoki momiji) must mean that the poet, on seeing a tree which turns scarlet, rather than green, recollects the autumn colour. However, “the heat” and the diction in the concluding line are somewhat pedestrian and unpoetic. I must award the victory to the Left.’

Summer II: 19

Left.

入日さす外山の雲は晴れにけり嵐にすぐる夕立の空

irihi sasu
toyama no kumo wa
harenikeri
arashi ni suguru
yūdachi no sora
Setting sun shines
Upon the clouds atop the mountains,
Cleared by
Storm winds ‘cross
A sky of evening showers…

A Servant Girl.

277

Right (Win).

谷川の流れを見ても知られけり雲越す峰の夕立の空

tanikawa no
nagare o mitemo
shirarekeri
kumo kosu mine no
yūdachi no sora
The valley’s streams’
Swift flow, I glimpse and
Realise:
The peak crossing clouds are
A sky of evening showers.

Jakuren.

278

Neither team finds anything to object to in the other’s poem.

Shunzei states simply, ‘Both poems have particularly find latter sections. However, the Left is finer, I feel.

Summer I: 22

Left (Win).

篝火の影だにあらじ後の世の闇をも知らぬ鵜飼舟かな

kagaribi no
kage dani araji
nochi no yo no
yami o mo shiranu
ukaibune kana
Not even the fishing fires’
Light will reach
The world to come
Darkness all unknowing are
The cormorant boats.

Lord Kanemune.

223

Right.

大井川幾瀬のぼれば鵜飼舟嵐の山の明わたるらん

ōikawa
ikuse noboreba
ukaibune
arashi no yama no
akewataruran
Ōi River
Rapids running up are
The cormorant boats;
To the Mount of Storms
Does dawn return?

Ietaka.

224

The Right state merely that, ‘The Left’s poem has nothing to apologise for,’ while the Left comment, ‘stating that “dawn” (ake) returns to a mountain to the west is illogical. Moreover, in the three lines “The cormorant boats; To the Mount of Storms Does dawn return?” (ukaibune arashi no yama no akewataruran) the meanings of each line are different and fail to follow on one from the other.’

Shunzei is in general agreement: ‘The gentlemen of the Right have already allowed that the Left’s poem has nothing to apologise for. The have also stated that it is not the case that night lightens from the west, but it is certainly the case that it is possible to see the dawn light growing upon the western mountains. However, the cormorant boats’ practice is normally to run down the rapids, and saying “rapids running up” (ikuse noboreba) suggests that this is happening after they have gone down. Dawn is then exceptionally late. In any case, the Right’s poem has a number of doubtful sections, while the Left’s is without error, as has already been stated. It must win.’

Spring III: 7

Left (Win).

袖の雪空吹く風もひとつにて花にゝほへる志賀の山越え

sode no yuki
sora fuku kaze mo
hitotsu nite
hana ni nioeru
shiga no yamagoe
The snow upon my sleeves
Blown through the breezy skies
Is one with
The scent of blossom on
The path across the Shiga Mountains.

Lord Sada’ie.

133

Right.

嵐吹く花の梢に跡見えて春も過ぎゆく志賀の山越え

arashi fuku
hana no kozue ni
ato miete
haru mo sugiyuku
shiga no yamagoe
Storm winds blow
Blossom from the treetops:
Footprints mark
The passage of Spring on
The path across the Shiga Mountains.

Ietaka.

134

The Right team remark about the Left’s poem that ‘beginning two lines with so (sode…sora) is grating’, while the Left have no criticisms to make of the Right’s poem.

Shunzei states, ‘The gentlemen of the Right have remarked upon the Left poem’s grating qualities. Nevertheless, does it not seem that this path across the Shiga Mountains is particularly intriguing? The Right’s poem mentions ‘blossom from the treetops/footprints mark’ (hana no kozue ni ato miete), but if the sense is that the blossom has already fallen, it seems that there would be little of interest in such a sight. The Left should win, I think.’