When he presented a fifty-poem sequence.
たづねきて花にくらせる木のまよりまつとしもなき山のはの月
| tazunekite hana ni kuraseru ko no ma yori matsu to shimo naki yama no ha no tsuki | I came searching Blossom all day long Between the trees, when Though I’d not awaited it, saw The moon upon the mountains’ edge. |
Fujiwara no Masatsune
Round Seven
Left (Win)
あしひきのやまがくれなるさくらばなちりのこれりと風にしらすな
| ashihiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana chirinokoreri to kaze ni shirasu na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, Do not tell the wind! |
Shōni no myōbu
14[1]
Right
としごとにきつつわがみるさくらばなかすみもいまはたちなかくしそ
| toshi goto ni kitsutsu wa ga miru sakurabana kasumi mo ima wa tachi na kakushi so | Every single year I hear of and gaze upon Cherry blossom: The haze, too, now Arising, don’t hide them! |
Nakatsukasa
15
The Left’s poem is extremely charming – that really is how things are.
The Right’s poem: where is it that you always hear of and then see them? This is a bit rough. There’s also no reason to include the expression ‘now’ here. Thus, the Left wins.
[1] A variant of this poem was later included in Shūishū (I: 66).
From a poetry match held during the reign of the Tenryraku Emperor.[i]
あしひきの山がくれなるさくら花ちりのこれりと風にしらるな
| asiFiki no yamagakure naru sakurabana tirinokoreri to kaze ni siraru na | Within the leg-wearing Mountains concealed, O, cherry blossom, That you linger and not scatter, I would not have the wind discover! |
Shōni no myōbu
少弐命婦
[i] The poetry match in question is Dairi uta’awase – Tentoku yo-nen (‘Palace Poetry Match – Tentoku 4’; 960), held by Emperor Murakami 村上 (924-967; r. 946-967). The poem in the match is slightly different.
ひんがしの国にわがをれば朝日さすはこやの山の影となりにき
| hingashi no kuni ni wa ga oreba asahi sasu hakoya no yama no kage to nariniki | In eastern Lands do I dwell, but when The morning sun shines Upon distant Gushe Mountain[i] Its shadow falls upon me. |
681
[i] Mount Gushe 姑射山 (Jp. koya no yama) is a mountain in Shanxi 山西 in northern China, which was said to be the dwelling place of immortals. Here, Sanetomo is using it as a euphemism for the imperial palace in Kyoto and, by association the emperor.
ゆく末のちとせをこめて春霞たつたの山に松風ぞふく
| yukusue no chitose o komete harugasumi tatsuta no yama ni matsukaze zo fuku | The future for A thousand years contained within The haze of spring: On the mount of Tatsuta The wind blows through the pines![i] |
661
[i] See: Topic unknown. ゆかむ人こん人しのべ春がすみたつたの山のはつさくら花 yukamu hito / kon hito shinobi / harugasumi / tatsuta no yama no / hatsu sakurabana ‘Folk who go / And those who come, secretly do dwell upon / The haze of spring / Over Mount Tatsuta’s / First flowering cherry blossoms.’ Middle Counsellor Yakamochi (Shinkokinshū I: 85)
Topic: Scarlet Leaves
Poets
A poetry match held by His Majesty, matching scarlet leaves in the intercalary Ninth Month, Tenryaku 9.[i]
Round One
Left
わがをりてくらぶのやまのもみぢばにひとしきいろはあらじとぞおもふ
| wa ga orite kurabu no yama no momijiba ni hitoshiki iro wa araji to zo omou | I pick, and Compare on Mount Kurabu Scarlet leaves— Matching their hues is Nothing at all, I feel! |
1
Right (Win)
うすくこくくらぶのやまのもみぢばはつゆもわかねどいろぞまされる
| usuku koku kurabu no yama no momijiba wa tsuyu mo wakanedo iro zo masareru | Both pale and dark To compare are Mount Kurabu’s Scarlet leaves— Not even the dew tells them apart, yet Still superb are their hues! |
2
[i] This corresponds to November 955.
The summer moon above a shrine.[i]
ながむれば吹く風すずしみわの山杉の木ずゑをいづる月影
| nagamureba fuku kaze suzushi miwa no yama sugi no kozue o izuru tsukikage | While I was staring into space, How cool the gusting breeze, as Above Mount Miwa’s Cedar treetops Emerges the moon…[ii] |
634
[i] As with poem 631, the topic here, ‘The summer moon above the shrine’ (shatō kagetsu 社頭夏月) was generally used when the poet had a specific shrine in mind—in this case, Ōmiwa Shrine (Ōmiwa jinja 大神神社).
[ii] See: As part of a hundred-poem sequence. ながむれば衣手すゞしひさかたのあまのかはらの秋のゆふぐれ nagamureba / koromode suzushi / hisakata no / ama no kawara no / aki no yūgure ‘While I was staring into space, / How chill my sleeves became; / Upon eternal / Heaven’s riverbed / Comes an autumn evening.’ Princess Shokushi (Shinkokinshū IV: 321)
Original
ちらねどもかねてぞをしきもみぢばはけふをかぎりのいろとみつれば
| chiranedomo kanete zo oshiki momijiba wa kyō o kagiri no iro to mitsureba | They have yet to scatter, but Already, I regret The scarlet leaves, for Today is the utmost Extent of their hues… |
39
Left (Win)
あきふかきやまのもみぢもあるものをいまはのいろとおもはざらなむ
| aki fukaki yama no momiji mo aru mono o ima wa no iro to omowazaranamu | Though in the depths of autumn The mountains’ scarlet leaves Are fair, On their hues now I would not have you dwell… |
40
Right
かぎりなきいろはためしにをしけれどえだにもみぢはとまりげもなし
| kagiri naki iro wa tameshi ni oshikeredo eda ni momiji wa tomarige mo nashi | Limitlessly fair Hues have there been before, and Regrets, yet The scarlet leaves upon the boughs Show no signs of lingering… |
41
