Tag Archives: tatsutagawa

Daikōtaigōgū no suke taira no tsunemori-ason ke uta’awase 37

Scarlet Leaves

Round One

Left (Win)

山姫やきてふる郷へ帰るらんにしきとみゆる衣手の杜

yamahime ya
kite furusato e
kaeruran
nishiki to miyuru
koromode no mori
Does the mountain princess
Wear it, when to her ancient home
Returning?
As brocade does seem
The sacred grove at Koromode…

Lord Shige’ie

73

Right

色色の木木のにしきを立田川ひとつはたにもおりながすかな

iroiro no
kigi no nishiki o
tatsutagawa
hitotsu hata ni mo
orinagasu kana
Many hued is
The trees brocade that
The Tatsuta River’s
Loom into one
Does weave and float along!

Shun’e
74

The Left’s ‘mountain princess’ is normally used, but where is the ‘ancient estate’? As for the Right, when the trees’ brocade is scattered, only then, indeed, can it be woven and made to flow along by a river. A long time ago there was a poem composed which, indeed, began, ‘The scarlet leaves in such confusion / Drift’ and then continued, ‘Were I to ford across, this brocade / Would be split in two, I’d say…’[1] Furthermore, what are we to make of ‘Tatsuta River’s / Loom into one’? There should be reference to a location which has some connection with looms, but to simply shoehorn in ‘Tatsuta River’s / Loom into one’ smacks of pleasing oneself. There is the earlier poem ‘Without a loom / Are brocade’,[2] too. The way in which this poem is constructed is charming, but these features are difficult to ignore, so thus the Left should win, I think.


[1] The poem is Kokinshū V: 283, with the headnote, ‘Topic unknown’. It is officially anonymous, but is accompanied by an endnote stating ‘It is said by some that this poem was composed by the Nara Emperor.’

[2] Topic unknown. から衣たつたの山のもみぢばははた物もなき錦なりけり karakoromo / Tatsuta no yama no / momijiba wa / hatamono mo naki / nishiki narikeri ‘A Cathay robe— / Tatsuta Mountain’s / Scarlet leaves, / Without a loom / Are brocade.’ Anonymous (GSS VII: 386)

Yōzei-in uta’awase (Engi jūsan-nen kugatsu kokonoka) 11

Left (Win)

をしめどもとまらぬ秋としりながらまどふ心はいかにせよとぞ

oshimedomo
tomaranu aki to
shirinagara
madou kokoro wa
ika ni seyo to zo
I regret it, yet
Autumn will not linger,
I know, but
What is my confused heart
To do, I wonder?

21

Right

たつた河わたりし秋にあらぬかなながれてもみぢつねにみるべく

tatsutagawa
watarishi aki ni
aranu kana
nagarete momiji
tsune ni mirubeku
The River Tatsuta
Has been crossed by autumn,
Has it not?
For Its upon its flows scarlet leaves
Can I ever see…

22

Koresada shinnō-ke uta’awase 7

たつたがはあきはみづなくあせななむあかぬもみぢのながるればをし[1]

tatsutagawa
aki wa mizu naku
asena namu
akanu momiji no
nagarureba oshi
The river Tatsuta
In autumn, lacks water and
Is shallow, indeed, but though
I never tire of the scarlet leaves
When they flow by, how I do regret it!

13

いなづまはあるかなきかに見ゆれどもあきのたのみはほにぞいでける

inazuma wa
aru ka naki ka ni
miyuredomo
aki no tanomi wa
ho ni zo idekeru
A flash of lightning:
It may, or may not
Appear, yet
In autumn you can trust that
Ripened ears of rice will.

14


[1] This poem was included in Gosenshū (VII: 416).