水の泡や種となるらむ浮草のまく人なみの上に生ふれば
mizu no awa ya tane to naruramu ukikusa no maku hitonami no ue ni oureba Might the foam upon the waters
1[i]
山里は冬ぞさびしさまさりける人めも草もかれぬとおもへば
yamazato wa fuyu zo sabishisa masarikeru hitome mo kusa mo karenu to omoeba In a mountain retreat
2[ii]
今日人をこふる心はあすか川流るる水に劣らざりけり
kyō hito o kouru kokoro wa asukagawa nagaruru mizu ni otorazarikeri Today, for her
3[iii]
[i] This poem is included in Shūishū (IX: 524) as an anonymous poem with the headnote ‘Produced but not matched in a poetry contest.’
[ii] This poem is included in Muneyuki-shū (15) with the headnote ‘For a poetry match’.
[iii] This poem is included in Muneyuki-shū (16) with the headnote ‘For a poetry match’.
Left
ひくるればひとめのもりにぬるとりのあかつきがたになきつつぞたつ
hi kurureba hitome no mori ni nuru tori no akatsukigata ni nakitsutsu zo tatsu Since the setting of the sun
22
Right
ねをあさみそこをはなるるうきくさのけさのおきにぞながれわびぬる
ne o asami soko o hanaruru ukikusa no kesa no oki ni zo nagare wabinuru Shallow the roots
23
Waterweed
水のうへによるべさだめぬうきくさもこの花かれて思ふべらなり
mizu no ue ni yorube sadamenu ukikusa mo kono hana karete omouberanari Atop the waters,
18
あし鴨のさわぐ入江の浮草のうきてや物をおもひわたらん
ashigamo no sawagu irie no ukikusa no ukite ya mono o omoiwataran Among the reed-beds, the ducks
443
Round Six
Left
なにごとをあけぬくれぬといそぐらむはかなきゆめのよとはしるしる
nanigoto o akenu kurenu to isoguramu hakanaki yume no yo to wa shirushiru What is it that makes
Lord Shigenori
Right (Win)
かずならぬみをうきくさとおもへどもなぞよとともにしづむなるらむ
kazu naranu mi o ukikusa to omoedomo nazo yo to tomo ni shizumu naruramu Not even numbered among folk, so
Lord Morikata
The Left’s poem expresses grief over the nature of the mundane world and finds a reason for this in the realisation that all is lost within a fleeting dream. The configuration of the Right poem’s ‘Should I sink into the depths?’ is not particularly elegant, yet placing ‘Pitiful am I—a floating duckweed’ first and then following this with ‘Should I sink into the depths?’ is charming, I have to say. The Right should win.
Left
さくはなのちりつつうかぶみづのおもにいかでうき草ねざしそめけむ
saku hana no chiritsutsu ukabu mizu no omo ni ikade ukikusa nezashi somekemu Blossom blooming and
76
Right
まつひとはつねならなくにほととぎすおもひのほかになかばうからむ
matsu hito wa tsune naranaku ni hototogisu omoi no hoka ni nakaba ukaramu The one awaiting you is
77
Left
さよふけてなどかなくらむほととぎすたびねのやどをかすひとやなき
sayo fukete nado ka nakuramu hototogisu tabine no yado o kasu hito ya naki Brief night breaks, so
49
Right (Win)
なつのいけによるべさだめぬうきくさのみづよりほかにゆくかたもなし
natsu no ike ni yorube sadamenu ukikusa no mizu yori hoka ni yuku kata mo nashi Upon the pond in summer
Okikaze
Waterweed.
水のうへによるべさだめぬうきくさもこの花かれて思ふべらなり
mizu no ue ni Atop the water
Round Twelve
Left
冬の夜の月はとほくやわたりけんかげみしみづのまづしこほれば
fuyu no yo no tsuki wa tōku ya watariken kage mishi mizu no mazu shi kōreba On a winter’s night
22
Right
ながれくるみづこほりぬる冬さへやなほうき草のあとはさだめぬ
nagarekuru mizu kōrinuru fuyu sae ya nao ukikusa no ato wa sadamenu Flowing down
23
Waterweed 萍
うき草のうき世の中としりながらのがれもやらぬ我ぞかなしき
ukikusa no A waterweed
Daishin
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'Simply moving and elegant'
