At around the same time [Kenpō 4 (1216)] in summer, an impromptu composition.
つくばねのしげきの木のまかげはあれど秋にはかはる夏の夜の月
| tsukubane no shigeki no ko no ma kage wa aredo aki ni wa kawaru natsu no yo no tsuki | On the peak of Tsukuba Between the trees so lush Shadows fall, yet In autumn ‘twill be different— The moon this summer night. |
Juntoku
Topic unknown.
なげきこる山としたかくなりぬればつらづゑのみぞまづつかれける
| nageki koru yama tosi takaku narinureba turaduwe nomi zo madu tukarekeru | Grief as hard as felling trees Upon a mountain higher Grows, as My head with my hands is First propped! |
Taifu
Composed on the conception of love, when a hundred poem sequence was presented for former Emperor Horikawa.
木間よりひれふる袖をよそに見ていかがはすべき松浦さよ姫
| ko no ma yori Fire Furu sode wo yoso ni mite ikaga Fa subeki matura sayoFime | Between the trees Her waving stole and sleeves I distantly see— O, what should I do for Sayohime at Matsura! |
Fujiwara no Mototoshi
When, due to a confidential matter, he became unable to meet with a woman he had finally become able to see, he sent this.
あふさかの木のした露にぬれしよりわが衣手はいつもかわかず
| aFusaka no ko no sitaduyu ni nuresi yori wa ga koromode Fa itumo kawakazu | Meeting Hill’s Trees drip dewdrops and Have soaked me, so My sleeves Never will be dry. |
Lord Kanesuke
On the conception of hidden love, when he held a poetry match in one hundred rounds at his house, while he was Major Captain of the Left.
もらすなよ雲ゐるみねのはつしぐれ木葉は下にいろかはるとも
| morasu na yo kumo’iru mine no hatsushigure ko no ha wa shita ni iro kawaru tomo | O, don’t drip down, Peak-clinging clouds First shower! For under you the trees’ leaves Will yet change their hues…[i] |
The Regent and Grand Minister
[i] An allusive variation on KKS V: 260.
For the Hundred Poem Sequences Commemorating the Reign of Former Emperor Horikawa.
やまぢにてそほちにけりな白露のあかつきおきの木木のしづくに
| yamaji nite sōchinikeri na shiratsuyu no akatsuki oki no kigi no shizuku ni | On a mountain path How damp have I become! Silver dewdrops Fall with the dawn In droplets from the trees… |
Supernumerary Middle Counsellor Kunizane
For a folding screen depicting a large number of travellers lying beneath blossom.
いましはと思ひし程にさくらばなちる木のもとに日数へぬべし
| ima shi wa to omoishi hodo ni sakurabana chiru ko no moto ni hikazu henubeshi | ‘Now, for sure, I’ll—’ I did think, but Cherry blossom Scattered from the trees, and beneath, Without arising, must I pass my time! |
Left (Win)
さくらちるこのしたかぜはさむからでそらにしられぬゆきぞふりける
| sakura chiru ko no shitakaze wa samukarade sora ni shirarenu yuki zo furikeru | The cherry scattering Breeze beneath the trees Lacks chill— Unaware from within the skies The snow is falling. |
Tsurayuki
13[i]
Right
わがこころはるのやまべにあくがれてながながしひをけふもくらしつ
| wa ga kokoro haru no yamabe ni akugarete naganagashi hi o kyō mo kurashitsu | My heart to The mountainside in springtime Is drawn— The long, long day Today, too, has reached its dusk. |
Mitsune
14[ii]
The Left wins. ‘The Right has “long, long” which is a disagreeable word. It was hissed through pursed lips with drooping shoulders,’ and so it lost.
[i] This poem is included in Shūishū (I: 64), with the headnote, ‘From Former Emperor Uda’s Poetry Contest’.
[ii] This poem is included in Shinkokinshū (I: 81), attributed to Tsurayuki with the headnote ‘A poem from Former Emperor Uda’s Poetry Contest’.
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… |
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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! |
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