Topic unknown.
木にもあらず草にもあらぬ竹のよのはしにわが身はなりぬべらなり
| ki ni mo arazu kusa ni mo aranu take no yo no hasi ni wa ga mi Fa narinuberanari | ’Tis not a tree, Nor yet a grass, but On bamboo stalks Brief as the space between the joints Does seem to be my fate… |
Anonymous
A certain person states that this is a poem by Prince Takatsu.
Left 梅のはなしるきかならでうつろはば雪降りやまぬ春とこそ見め
| ume no hana shiru ki ka narade utsurowaba yuki furiyamanu haru to koso mime | Of the plum blossom Is this tree not aware, so If it fades An endless snowfall Will seem to mark this spring. |
5
Right
春の日に霞わけつつとぶ雁の見えみみえずみ雲がくれ行く
| haru no hi ni kasumi waketsutsu tobu kari no mie mi miezu mi kumogakureyuku | The springtime sun Keeps breaking through the haze, so The geese, winging, Appear and are lost to view Vanishing within the clouds. |
6
So, I composed in reply to her.
言とはぬ木にはありともうるはしき君が手馴れの琴にしあるべし
| koto topanu ki ni pa aritomo urupasiki kimi ga tanare no koto ni siarubesi |
No speech Has a tree, yet A glorious Lord’s favourite Zither will you certainly be! |
The zither maid replied, ‘I thank you for your kind words. I am truly and humbly grateful.’ I swiftly awoke and moved by the words of the maiden in my dream, I could not remain silent, so I entrusted this zither to an official bound your way, that he might deliver it to you.
Sent by messenger on the 7th day of the Tenth Month Tenpyō 1 [645], to his Most Glorious Excellency of the Inner Palace Guards.