Icicles
山ざとは谷の下水つららゐていはうつ浪の音だにもせず
yamazato wa tani no shitamizu tsurara ite iwa utsu nami no oto dani mo sezu At a mountain retreat
Morotoki
Sages’ Dwellings 仙宮
桃の花しげきみたにに尋ねいりておもはぬ里に年ぞへにける
momo no hana Upon peach blossoms
Nakazane
Temples 寺
谷ふかみ跡だに見えぬ山寺はかけひの水のゆくにてぞ知る
tani fukami Deep within the valley
Akinaka
Waterfalls 滝
谷川やおちくる滝のしらいとを水のあやには織るにやあるらん
tanikawa ya From a stream within the valley
Daishin
Groves 原
谷おろしの風しやみねばよとともにおきつがはらにくぬぎ波だつ
tani’oroshi no From down the valley
Akinaka
Stones 石
おく山の人もかよはぬ谷川にせぜの石ばしたれわたしけん
okuyama no hito mo kayowanu tanikawa ni seze no ishibashi tare watashiken Deep within the mountains, where
Higo
When Spring Arrives in the Old Year 旧年立春
谷の戸をいでずとなけやうぐひすは年もあけぬに春はきにけり
tani no to o Will ‘From the valley’s mouth
Tadafusa
A poem from a poetry competition held by Her Majesty, the Empress, during the Kanpyō period.
吹風と谷の水としなかりせば深山がくれの花を見ましや
Fuku kaze to The gusting wind and
Tsurayuki
A poem from the Poetry Competition held in the reign of the Kanpyō Empress.
谷風にとくる氷のひまごとに打いづる波や春のはつ花
tanikaze ni
In the valley’s breezes
Minamoto no Masazumi
Left (Tie)
mi o sutete
‘Abandon all restraint, and
Kenshō
Right
morokoshi no
In Cathay,
Jakuren
Left and Right together: both tigers do not seem to emphasise anything in particular.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘tigers’ (tora ), with the Left having ‘a valley where tigers lie’ (tora fusu tani ) and the Right ‘isles where tigers lie’ (tora fusu shima ). These seem to be an attempt to differ from the standard ‘meadow’ (nobe ). Saying ‘valley’ or ‘isles’ makes both poems sound modern. They are of the same quality.
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