Tag Archives: tracks

Kanpyō no ōntoki kisai no miya uta’awase 72

Left

霜のうへに跡ふみつくる浜千鳥行へもなしと鳴きのみぞふる

shimo no ue ni
ato fumitsukuru
hamachidori
yukue mo nashi to
naki nomi zo suru
Upon the frost
Treading out tracks are
Plovers on the beach;
With no place to go,
They simply sing!

Okikaze
141

Right

なみだ川みなぐばかりの淵はあれど氷とけねばかげもやどらぬ

namidagawa
mi nagu bakari no
fuchi wa aredo
kōri tokeneba
kage mo yadoranu
My river of tears,
Is fit to drown me in
It’s depths, yet
Should the ice not melt,
No sign will linger on…

142

Kanpyō no ōntoki kisai no miya uta’awase 18

Left

梅がかを袖にうつしてとどめては春はすぐともかたみならまし

mume ga ka o
sode ni utushite
todometeba
haru wa sugutomo
katami naramashi
If only the plums’ scent
Would shift to my sleeves and
Stay there, then
Even when spring is past and gone
A keepsake would it be…

35[1]

Right

行く春の跡だにありと見ましかば野べのまにまにとめましものを

yuku haru no
ato dani ari to
mimashikaba
nobe no manimani
tomemashi mono o
Departing spring’s
Very tracks
I would I saw, so
Simply in the meadows
Would I remain!

36


[1] Kokinshū I: 46/Shinsen man’yōshū 21

Love VIII: 22

Left (Win)
唐国の虎臥す野邊に入るよりもまどふ戀路の末ぞあやうき

karakuni no
tora fusu nobe ni
iru yori mo
madou koiji no
sue zo ayauki
In far Cathay are
Meadows where tigers lie,
But rather than entering there,
The confusing paths of love
Are, at the end, more dangerous…

Lord Ari’ie
1063

Right
我宿は人もかれ野の淺茅原通ひし駒の跡もとゞめず

wa ga yado wa
hito mo kareno no
asajiwara
kayoishi koma no
ato mo todomezu
At my home
Is only a withered field
Of cogon grass;
The mount who once did cross it
Has left no lingering tracks…

Ietaka
1064

The Gentlemen of the Right state: how can love be dangerous? The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.

In judgement: saying that the ‘paths of love are, at the end’ (koiji no sue) dangerous is perfectly commonplace. ‘Is only a withered field of cogon grass’ (hito mo kareno no asajiwara) seems to simply have taken the poem ‘Sedge fields lie / Around the estate of Fushimi, / All long overgrown; / He who passed across them / Has left no tracks at all…’ and swapped in ‘mount who once did cross it’ (kayoishi koma). Changing a man into a mount is discomposing, indeed. Again, the Left should win.

GSS XIV: 1024

When a man who had long visited a woman at the house of the Sugawara Minister, ceased coming for a while, and then came once more.

菅原や伏見の里の荒れしより通ひし人のあともたえにき

sugaFara ya
Fusimi no sato no
aresi yori
kayoFisi Fito no
ato mo taeniki
Sedge fields lie
Around the estate of Fushimi,
All long overgrown;
He who passed across them
Has left no tracks at all…

Anonymous

Winter II: 3

Left (Win).

訪へかしな庭の白雪跡絶えてあはれも深き冬の朝を

toekashi na
niwa no shirayuki
ato taete
aware mo fukaki
fuyu no ashita o
I would go a’calling;
In my garden the white snowfall
Has covered all the tracks;
How deep is my sorrow,
On this winter morning!

Lord Kanemune.

545

Right.

軒のうち雀の聲は馴るれども人こそ知らぬ今朝の白雪

noki no uchi ni
suzume no koe wa
naruredomo
hito koso shiranu
kesa no shirayuki
From underneath the eaves
To the sparrows’ chirps
Have I grown accustomed, yet
No one noticed
This morning’s fall of snow so white…

Nobusada.

545

The Right state that the Left’s initial line makes their poemsound like a reply. In addition, the final line is ‘overly forceful’ [itau tsuyoku]. The Left merely comment that the Right’s use of ‘sparrow’ (suzume) is ‘inappropriate’.

Shunzei’s judgement: Even though the Left’s poem is not a reply, starting with ‘I would go a’calling’ (toekashi na) is common in the reply style [zōtōtei]. In addition, ‘Winter Mornings’ is not a topic which one needs to approach obliquely. There are only the good and bad points of the poetry. ‘From underneath the eaves to the sparrows’ chirps have I grown accustomed’ (noki no uchi ni suzume no koe wa naruru) is not an expression much used about morning snow. However, the final section of the poem appears fine. ‘Sparrows’ chirps’ (suzume no koe) is, perhaps, somewhat colloquial [zoku no chikaku]. Despite the comment by the gentlemen of the Right that the final section of the Left’s poem is ‘overly forceful’, it is a better ‘Winter Morning’ poem.