On a place where plum blossom blooms.
わがやどの梅のはつはなさきにけりまつうぐひすはなどかきなかぬ
| wa ga yado no ume no hatsuhana sakinikeri matsu uguisu wa nado ka kinakanu | My dwelling’s First plum blossom Has bloomed, so Why has the long awaited warbler Not come to sing? |
Composed on plum blossom.
鶯はいたくなわびそ梅のはなことしのみちるならひならねば
| uguisu wa itaku na wabi so ume no hana kotoshi no michiru narai naraneba | O, warbler, Cry not with such sorrow! For the plum blossom’s Fair scattering this year Is not a one-time thing… |
A warbler after the rain.
春雨の露もまだひず梅がえにうは毛しをれて鶯ぞなく
| harusame no tsuyu mo mada hizu mume ga e ni uwage shiorete uguisu zo naku | The spring shower’s Dewfall’s not yet dried, but Upon the plum branch, Plumage drenched, Sings out the warbler! |
A warbler between the blossom.
春くれば先さくやどのむめのはなかをなつかしみうぐひすぞ鳴く
| haru kureba mazu saku yado no mume no hana ka o natsukashimi uguisu zo naku | When the spring has come, First to bloom at my house is Plum blossom Fond of its fragrance Does the warbler sing! |
Warblers
草ふかき霞の谷にはぐくもるうぐひすのみやむかしこふらし
| kusa fukaki kasumi no tani ni hagukumoru uguisu nomi ya mukashi kourashi | Deep within the grasses of The haze-filled valley, Wing-wrapped does The warbler fledgling, alone, Think fondly of times long gone? |
Warblers
ふかくさの谷のうぐひす春ごとにあはれむかしと音をのみぞなく
| fukakusa no tani no uguisu haru goto ni awaremu kashi to ne o nomi zo naku | In Fukakusa’s grass-filled Valleys the warbler Every springtime, Longing for bygone days Simply sings his song. |
On seeing snow at the beginning of spring.
かきくらし猶ふる雪のさむければ春ともしらぬ谷のうぐひす
| kakikurashi nao furu yuki no samukereba haru tomo shiranu tani no uguisu | Raking in the darkness, Still falls the snow With such cold, that ‘Tis spring all unknowing is The warbler in the valley. |
5
やま里に家ゐはすべし鶯のなくはつこゑのきかまほしさに
| yamazato ni iei wa subeshi uguisu no naku hatsukoe no kikamahoshisa ni | Into a mountain retreat Shall I make my home, for The warbler’s First sung song Is what I long to hear… |
3
Left (Win)
はるがすみたちしかくせばやまざくらひとしれずこそちりぬべらなれ
| harugasumi tachishi kakuseba yamazakura hito shirezu koso chirinuberanare | If the spring haze Has risen to conceal The mountain cherries, Then, indeed, will no one know When they have seemed to scatter! |
Tsurayuki
9
Right
たのまれぬはなのこころとおもへばやちらぬさきよりうぐひすのなく
| tanomarenu hana no kokoro to omoeba ya chiranu saki yori uguisu no naku | Untrustworthy are The blossoms’ hearts I do think, so While they are unscattered Will the warbler sing. |
Okikaze
10[i]
Both of these are the same—they tie.[ii]
[i] This poem is included in Shinshūishū (XI: 1549), attributed to Okikaze, with the headnote, ‘From Former Emperor Uda’s Poetry Contest’. It is also included twice in Kokin rokujō (I: 31) and (VI: 4395): in both cases the poem is attributed to Okikaze, but the first instance lacks a headnote, while the second is classified as a ‘Warbler’ poem. Finally, it is also included in Mandaishū (II: 254), again attributed to Okikaze, but this time with the headnote, ‘Topic unknown’.
[ii] Given that the Left’s poem here is marked as winning, presumably Uda means that both poems are equally worthy of a win—that is, that this is a yoki ji, a ‘tie of quality’.