KKS 12

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Text

寛平御時后の宮の歌合の歌

源当純

谷風にとくるこほりのひまごとにうちいづる浪や春のはつ花

Translation

A poem at the Empress' Poetry Collection in the Kampei era

Minamoto no Masazumi

Waves crashing forth (4) / from the spaces (3) / in the ice melted (2) / in the spring wind (1) -- / The first flowers of spring

Explanation

This poem is another example of mitate (pretending that one thing looks like another). The flowers still have not yet bloomed, but now in addition to snow we have the white tops of the rushing stream appearing to be the early spring plums.

Detailed Notes

寛平御時后の宮の歌合

This is one of the earliest poetry competitions, held perhaps in 892 or 893. The KKS takes many of its poems, and its arrangement of the poems seems to have had an influence on the KKS compilers. There are no judge comments.

谷風に

Most manuscripts read 山風に instead, and this reading is also found in the Shinsen Man'yoshu and the Kokin waka rokujo. On the other hand, the Wakan roeishu reads 谷風に. So both readings existed in the Heian period, and Shunzei and Teika seem to have chosen the 谷風に reading for their text. The Template:Oldest cites a poem from the Shi Jing to suggest that this means "East Wind" (connected with spring), and Katagiri shows examples from the Shinsen man'yoshu where 谷風 is used with a spring association. On the other hand, Template:Modern takes it literally as wind in the valley, perhaps connected to the warbler coming out of the valley in poem 14.

はつ花

Examples of waves depicted as flowers can be found in the Wen xuan as well as the MY (e.g. 4111).

Analysis

Template:Oldest identified this poem as having a "fault" (病) due to the first and third lines both ending with に. This was not necessarily an indictment of the KKS poem per se, but more of a warning to current poets. Toshiyori and other writers who mention these faults note that they are used in old poems. The poem itself is included in both Template:Oldest's Korai futeisho and the pseudo-Teika Template:Teika, as well as Teika's own Teika hachidaisho, so it was regarded as a good poem by some, at least. Template:Modern, on the other hand, considers it only passable, although he singles out the 体言止 (ending with a noun).

The Template:Nativist clearly explains the links between the poems in this section. Previously there were no warblers, but now the valley wind blows and melts the ice (as in poem 2), then (poem 13) the scent of plums invites the warblers, who (14) leave the valley at last. Template:Modern questioned why the poem is here, interrupting the series on warblers. He notes that 12-15 are all from the poetry competition, creating a group. He also thinks that 12 sets up the scene for 13-14, similar to what the Chokuden says. Takeoka agrees, comparing it to the unrolling of a "warbler picture scroll".

Katagiri says that perhaps the warblers have not come from the valley because they've been confused by the "flowers" there -- as Takeoka says, up to now the "flowers" have been snow, but now we have advanced to the melting ice and water. Although we are still continuing the はかなし theme of the image (flowers) not actually present.

SKKS 17 uses this poem as a honka:

谷川の打出づる波も声立てつ鶯さそへ春の山風

The waves coming from the valley rivers also make a noise. Please summon the warbler, O mountain wind!

Kaneko and Template:Modern both think the KKS poem is more along the lines of the SKKS style both in its imagery and the use of the 体言止 technique.

Other honka-dori are found in Shin shoku kokinwakashu 41:

吉野川氷とけ行く春風にあらはれそむる波の初花

In the spring wind, melting the ice of Yoshino River, the first flowers of waves begin to appear.

and 1161:

うち出でし波の初花たちかへり谷風寒く氷る春かな

The first flowers of waves, coming forth, turn back, the valley wind, a frozen cold spring!

Other sources

• 新撰万葉集２３９
• 古今和歌六帖５・春立つ日. First line 山風
• 和漢朗詠集１６
• 寛平御時后宮歌合２　寛平御時中宮歌合洞院１
• 千五百番歌合２３６１: The judge recognized that Ariie's poem was based on this one, but turned to a love poem.
• 俊頼髄脳　和歌童蒙抄　袋草子　古来風体抄　八雲御抄　桐火桶　定家八代抄　歌林良材
• 金玉集５

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