Tag Archives: Tokiwa

Tōgū gakushi noritada uta’awase 02

Mugwort in the Grounds[i]

Left

よろづよもときはならなんけふのためいはひておほすそののよもぎは

yorozuyo mo
tokiwa naranan
kyō no tame
iwaite ōsu
sono no yomogi wa
For ten thousand ages more
Evergreen, I would you be!
For today’s
Celebration, lushly growing
Mugwort in the grounds…

3

Right

そののうちにおふるよもぎのえだしげみすゑさかゆべくみゆるきみかな

sono no uchi ni
ouru yomogi no
eda shigemi
sue sakayubeku
miyuru kimi kana
Within the grounds
A’growing, the mugwort’s
Branches are lush
To the very end they flourish,
As do you appear to, my Lord!

4

In ancient times, folk arose on this day with the dawn together with the birds and, taking those branches of mugwort from within their grounds that resembled people, dried them in the shade and made medicinal draughts—I wonder, were both Left and Right unaware of this? There is not even a dewdrop’s worth of diction in accordance with the topic, so I must make this round a tie.

かたかたにとるかたもなきよもぎぐさひとかずならぬここちこそすれ

katakata ni
toru kata mo naki
yomogigusa
hito kazu naranu
kokochi koso sure
Both sides say
Nothing noteworthy about
Mugwort plants,so
Neither is worth much,
I feel!

Judge 2


[i] Sono no naka no yomogi 園中蓬

Eien narabō uta’awase 22

Snow

Round One

Left (Win)

たまのきにははそのもりもなりにけりふるしらゆきのきえぬかぎりは

tama no ki ni
hahaso no mori mo
narinikeri
furu shirayuki no
kienu kagiri wa
Into trees of gems has
The oak forest
Turned
While the falling snow
Does not fade away…

Lord Dainagon
43[i]

Right

ゆきふればあをばの山も見がくれてときはのきをやけさはをるらむ

yuki fureba
aoba no yama mo
migakurete
tokiwa no ki o ya
kesa wa oruramu
Snow has fallen, so
The verdant mountain
Vanishes from sight—
Might the evergreens
Be broken the morning?

Lord Chūnagon
44[ii]

The poem of the Left is entirely lacking in any interest. Isn’t this a sage’s jewelled tree? It really leaves me grief-stricken. The poem of the Right contains two faults in a single work. First, this is not the right time of year to be referring to a ‘verdant mountain’. Second, ‘vanishes from sight’ refers to disappearing in water. In the Collection of a Myriad Leaves ‘vanishing from sight’ is written as ‘hidden in the water’. Thus we have lines such as, ‘swarming frogs hiding in the weeds beneath the waves’. There are no prior poems mentioning ‘mountains vanishing from sight’ in either ancient or modern times.

On the matter of the ‘tree of gems’, I heard a long time ago that this might have appeared in an important source, but as this is something I know little about, even if this is a fault, it’s difficult for me to say anything about it. Well, in any case, it doesn’t sound bad. Would someone who knows all about this compose poorly? The Right’s poem lacks elegance, but it doesn’t sound like it has any other faults. It’s inferior to the Left only in ornamentation.


[i] Some sources identify Mototoshi as the composer of this poem.

[ii] This poem is included in Toshiyori’s personal collection, Sanboku kikashū (670), with the headnote, ‘Composed in place of someone for a poetry match in Nara’,

KKS VII: 362

A poem written on a folding screen with paintings of the four seasons, created as a backdrop for the fortieth birthday celebrations of Lord Fujiwara, Major Captain of the Right, by the Principal Handmaid – Autumn.

秋くれど色もかはらぬときは山よそのもみぢを風ぞかしける

aki kuredo
iro mo kaFaranu
tokiFayama
yoso no momidi wo
kaze zo kasikeru
Autumn has come, yet
To the never changing hues on
Evergreen Mountain
Distant scarlet leaves
The wind has lent!

Sakanoe no Korenori

A kuzushiji version of the poem's text.
Created with Soan.

Yōzei-in uta’awase (Engi jūsan-nen kugatsu kokonoka) 22

Left

をしめどもとまらぬ秋は常盤山もみぢはてぬとみてもゆるさじ

oshimedomo
tomaranu aki wa
tokiwayama
momiji hatenu to
mite mo yurusaji
I regret it, yet
Autumn lingers not
Upon the evergreen mountains
The scarlet leaves have yet to end,
I see and would not let them go.

43

Right

としごとにとまらぬ秋とおもひなばてもろき人もをしまざらまし

toshigoto ni
tomaranu aki to
omoinaba
temoroki hito mo
oshimazaramashi
If, that every single year
Autumn lingers not,
I did not think, then
Tear-filled folk
I would not have regret it.

44

Yōzei-in uta’awase (Engi jūsan-nen kugatsu kokonoka) 05

Left (Tie)

しぐれつつ草ばもなべてもみづともときはの山にあきはとまれり

shiguretsutsu
kusaba mo nabete
momizu to mo
tokiwa no yama ni
aki wa tomareri
Ever falls the drizzling rain, and
Both leaves and grasses, all,
Take on autumn hues, yet
Within the evergreen mountains
Autumn has halted.

9

Right

をしめども秋はとまらぬ竜田山もみぢを幣とそらにたむけん

oshimedomo
aki wa tomaranu
tatsutayama
momiji o nusa to
sora ni tamuken
How I regret it, yet
Autumn does not linger upon
Tatsuta Mountain:
Its autumn leaves as a garland
To the skies it seems to offer.

10

Hon’in sadaijin-ke uta’awase 10

Evergreens

ちりかはる心なけれどみやまぎのときはは秋もしられざりけり

chirikawaru
kokoro nakeredo
miyamagi no
tokiwa wa aki mo
shirarezarikeri
A flighty
Heart, has it not, yet
Deep within the mountains, that the trees
Are evergreen, even the autumn
Seems not to know…

19

Gentian

した草の花をみつればむらさきに秋さへふかくなりにけるかな

shitagusa no
hana o mitsureba
murasaki ni
aki sae fukaku
narinikeru kana
When in the undergrowth
Flowers I do see, their
Violet in
Autum much deeper
Has become!

20

Sahyōe no suke sadafumi uta’awase 12

Left (Tie)

ひさにこぬ人をまつにやあひぬらむときはのこひとわがなりぬるは

hisa ni konu
hito o matsu ni ya
ainuramu
tokiwa no koi to
wa ga narinuru wa
He never comes, that
Man I’m waiting for—will
I ever meet him?
Though into everlasting love
Have I completely fallen…

Mitsune
23

Right

おもひつつまだいひそめぬわがこひをおなじこころに人はしらなむ

omoitsutsu
mada iisomenu
wa ga koi o
onaji kokoro ni
hito wa shiranamu
Ever are you in my passionate thoughts,
Though we have yet to speak
I would my love
You would feel within your heart as I—
That’s what I would have you know!

Mitsune
24