Left
山深み種ある岩に生ふる松の根よりもかたき戀や何なる
yama fukami
tane aru iwa ni
ouru matsu no
ne yori mo kataki
koi ya nani naru |
Deep with the mountains,
Upon the crags where seeds
Grow into pines,
Rooted firmly – how hard
Will our love be? |
Lord Ari’ie
1041
Right (Win)
契きなまた忘れずよ初瀬河布留川野邊の二本の杉
chigirikina
mata wasurezu yo
hatsusegawa
furukawa nobe no
futamoto no sugi |
You vowed it, did you not.
Not to forget me more.
In the River Hatsuse and
River Furu’s meadows
Stand twin cedars. |
Jakuren
1042
Left and Right together state: we find no faults to mention.
In judgement: While there are such things in the heart of the mountains as ‘crags where seeds grow into pines’ (tane aru iwa ni ouru matsu), it is normally by the sea or on rocky coastlines that one finds firmly rooted pine trees. Surely, mountain pines are but lightly rooted? Cedars on River Hatsuse recollects ‘Nor will I ever; a solid brick-kiln’ (wasurezu yo kawaraya), but ‘You vowed it, did you not’ (chigirikina) also reminds me of the old phrase ‘Both our sleeves wringing out’ (katami ni sode o shiboritsutsu), which is most fine. Thus, the Right wins.
Left (Tie)
いはざりき我身古屋の忍ぶ草思ひたがへて種を播けとは
iwazariki
wa ga mi furuya no
shinobugusa
omoitagaete
tane o make to wa |
I did not tell you:
My aged home’s
Fond ferns
To think so lightly of
That you scatter seeds about! |
Lord Sada’ie
1031
Right
ながめする心の根より生ひそめて軒の忍ぶは茂る成るべし
nagamesuru
kokoro no ne yori
oisomete
noki no shinobu wa
shigerunarubeshi |
Consoled,
My heart’s depths
Have grown old, as
Beneath my eaves the ferns
Have grown thick, indeed. |
Nobusada
1032
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we wonder about the appropriateness of sowing seeds beneath eaves? The Left, in appeal: why not compose a poem in this manner, given ‘even the grass seeds, forgotten’? The Left state: this seems little different from Toshiyori’s poem, ‘Beneath the eaves, my thoughts run wild / As the growing plants…’ (omoinoki yori ouru narikeri).
In judgement: both poems refer to ferns, and the conception of ‘my aged home’ (wa ga mi furuya no) and ‘my heart’s depths’ (kokoro no ne yori) both sound suitable. I make this a tie.
万代を菊の種とや蒔きそめて花見る毎に祈り来にける
yoroduyo wo
kiku no tane to ya
makisomete
Fana miru goto ni
inorikinikeru |
“For ten thousand generations!”
Chrysanthemum seeds
I have begun to sew, and
With the sight of every bloom,
That was my fervent prayer! |
19
すめらぎの萬代までしませからは給ひし種を植ゑし菊なり
sumeragi no
yoroduyo made si
mase kara Fa
tamaFisi tane wo
uwesi kiku nari |
Enduring our Emperor’s
Ten thousand generations,
So most fine are
These gifted seeds,
Planted into chrysanthemums. |
14
Topic unknown.
種しあれば岩にも松は生ひにけり恋をし恋ひば逢はざらめやは
tane si areba
iFa ni mo matu Fa
oFinikeri
koFi o si koFiba
aFazarame ya Fa |
A seed there was, then
Atop the crags a pine tree
Grew;
Being so in love,
How is it that we do not meet? |
Anonymous
'Simply moving and elegant'