The End of Autumn.
Left
琴の音に声よりあはせなく虫の秋のはつるはえこそしのばね
| koto no ne ni koe yori awase naku mushi no aki no hatsuru wa e koso shinobane | A zither’s strains Blended with the songs The insects cry, That autumn is ending They truly cannot recall! |
19
Right
長月の菊にぞ人をたのみつる花ひらくとも心うつるな
| nagatsuki no kiku zo hito o tanomitsuru hana hiraku tomo kokoro utsuru na | In the Longest Month A chrysanthemum, in a man Has placed its trust— The bloom may open, yet O, change not your heart! |
20
Left
夏の月ひかりをしまず照る時はながるる水にかげろふぞたつ
| natsu no tsuki hikari o shimazu teru toki wa nagaruru mizu ni kagerō zo tatsu | When summer moon’s Light lightly Shines From the running waters Haze arises! |
74
Right
琴の音にひびきかよへる松風はしらべても鳴く蝉の声かな
| koto no ne ni hibikikayoeru matsukaze wa shirabetemo naku semi no koe kana | A zither’s strains Echoing back and forth: The wind through the pines, In tune with the cries In the cicadas’ song! |
75[1]
[1] Shinshūishū III: 303/Shinsen man’yōshū 73/Kokin rokujō I: 398/Fubokushō IX: 3584
A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Dowager Empress during the Reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
琴の音にひびきかよへる松風をしらべてもなく蝉のこゑかな
| koto no ne ni hibikikayoeru matsukaze wa shirabetemo naku semi no koe kana | A zither’s strains Echoing back and forth: The wind through the pines, In tune with the cries In the cicadas’ song! |
Anonymous
山ざとは秋こそものはかなしけれねざめねざめにしかはなきつつ
| yamazato wa aki koso mono wa kanashikere nezame nezame ni shika wa nakitsutsu | A mountain retreat in Autumn is much more Sad; Waking, ever waking To the stags constant cries… |
29
ことのねをかぜのしらべにまかせてはたつたひめこそあきはひくらし
| koto no ne o kaze no shirabe ni makasete wa tatsustahime koso aki wa hikurashi | A zither’s strains By the wind tuned Up— Princess Tatsuta Is plucking out the notes of autumn, it seems. |
30
朝ごとに山にたちまふ朝霧は紅葉みせじとをしむなりけり
| asagoto ni yama ni tachimau asagiri wa momiji miseji to oshimu narikeri | With every morning Twining round the mountains The morning mists – that They cannot reveal the scarlet leaves Is regrettable, indeed! |
7
秋の夜は人をしづめてつれづれと掻きなす琴の音にぞたてつる
| aki no yo wa hito o shizumete tsurezure to kakinasu koto no ne ni zo tatetsuru | On an autumn night When folk are all abed, Idly Plucked a zither’s Strains sound out. |
8
Left (Win)
住みなれし人はこずゑに絶えはてて琴の音にのみ通ふ松風
| suminareshi hito wa kozue ni taehatete koto no ne ni nomi kayou matsukaze |
Accustomed to his being here, Now, he comes not and from the treetops All that endures Are my zither’s strains, Blending with the pines. |
Lord Ari’ie
1103
Right
聞かじただつれなき人の琴の音にいとはず通ふ松の風をば
| kikaji tada tsurenaki hito no koto no ne ni itowazu kayou matsu no kaze o ba |
I will listen no more! To that cruel man’s Zither strains Heedlessly blending With the wind from off the pines… |
Nobusada
1104
The Right state: it sounds as if the man is enduring on the treetops. The Left state: ‘I will listen no more!’ (kikaji tada) is extremely coarse.
In judgement: while it may sound as if the man is enduring on the treetops in the Left’s poem, this is no more than a standard use of metaphorical expression, and the configuration of ‘accustomed to his being here, now, he comes not and from the treetops’ (suminareshi hito wa kozue ni) sounds fine, with the latter part of the poem also being elegant. The initial line of the Right’s poem has a conception of closing up the ears to block one’s auditory sense, which seems excessive. Clearly, the Left’s ‘my zither’s strains’ (koto no ne ni nomi) must win.
Left (Tie)
君ゆへもかなしき琴の音は立てつ子を思ふ鶴に通ふのみかは
| kimi yue mo kanashiki koto no ne wa tatetsu ko o omou tsuru ni kayou nomi ka wa |
For you In sadness has my zither Put forth strains, so Can a crane calling for her chick Be the only one to cry? |
A Servant Girl
1101
Right
よそになる人だにつらき琴の音に子を思ふ鶴も心知られて
| yoso ni naru hito dani tsuraki koto no ne ni ko o omou tsuru mo kokoro shirarete |
Strangers to me – Even they the pain Within my zither’s strains, As a crane calling for her chick, Feel in their hearts! |
Ietaka
1102
Left and Right together: no faults to mention.
In judgement: both Left and Right mention ‘a crane calling for her chick’ (ko o omou tsuru). This would appear to be after the conception of the pentachord in Bai’s Works: ‘The third and fourth strings are chill, and at night a crane, loving her chick, calls from her cage.’ This is not the usual zither with seven strings, but it is certainly also a kind of zither. In the topic ‘On Zithers’ there is certainly no issue with alluding to Japanese zithers or Chinese ones, is there? In any case, neither poem seems greatly inferior or superior, so the round ties.
Left (Win)
あはれとて聞き知る人はなけれども恋しき琴の音こそ絶えせね
| aware tote kikishiru hito wa nakeredomo koishiki koto no ne koso taesene |
To be moved By hearing is there No one, yet My beloved zither’s Strains sound on and on… |
Kenshō
1099
Right
なをざりにはかなくすさむ琴の音もまつには通ふ物とこそ聞け
| naozari ni hakanaku susamu koto no ne mo matsu ni wa kayou mono to koso kike |
Carelessly and Wildly plucked My zither’s strains Blend with the pines I had heard… |
Lord Takanobu
1100
The Right state: the Left’s poem has no faults to mention. The Left state: the Right’s poem is not bad.
In judgement: both Gentlemen’s ‘zithers’ (koto) appear to be equally elegant, and the Right has a fine final section. The Left seems pleasant in both the initial and latter sections. So, the Left wins.
Left
あはぬまは琴柱も知らずひく琴の聞きにくきまで音にや立ててむ
| awanu ma wa kotoji mo shirazu hiku kono no kikinikuki made ne ni ya tatetemu |
Yet untuned, and Ignorant of where to place the bridge, Playing such a zither is Hard to hear, as Are my constant sobs, perhaps… |
Lord Kanemune
1097
Right (Win)
松風も琴のしらべに通ふなりわがひとり寝ぞ逢ふよしもなき
| matsukaze mo koto no shirabe ni kayou nari wa ga hitorine zo au yoshi mo naki |
The wind in the pines, as Zithers’ harmony Does blend; Yet I am sleeping solo, with No cause to meet at all… |
Lord Tsune’ie
1098
The Right state: the Left’s poem is preposterous. The Left state: the Right’s poem has no faults to mention.
In judgement: the Left’s poem seems to be aping the style of the Left in the previous round. As for the Right’s poem, although ‘zithers’ harmony’ (koto no shirabe) sounds modern, it is in a standard style. It should win.
Left
恋妻はあらぬしらべしらべの琴の緒かあふことかたき音のみ絶えせぬ
| koizuma wa aranu shirabe no koto no o ka au koto kataki ne nomi taesenu |
My beloved wife: Is it that untuned are Our zithers’ strings? So there is no harmony, and Only my sobs are ceaseless… |
Lord Suetsune
1095
Right (Win)
松風に通ふと聞きし琴の音も物思ふ時は身にぞしみける
| matsukaze ni kayou to kikishi koto no ne mo mono’omou toki wa mi ni zo shimikeru |
The wind in the pines Resembles, I had heard, A zither’s strains that, too, When sunk in gloomy thought Dye one so deeply… |
Jakuren
1096
The Right state: saying ‘our zithers’ strings?’ (koto no o ka) is unsatisfactory. The Left state: if one is not depressed, would one not be deeply affected?
In judgement: the Left certainly sounds as if something is out of tune! The Right’s poem says that on hearing the wind pass through the pine trees, one would be affected. It sounds by no means distant from the topic. Thus, the Right wins.