the court poets and poetesses to hold an Uta contest. Among the love poems on this occasion, this is one of the best, the other best one being Taira no Kanemori's Uta, which precedes this poem. The poetical umpire Ononomiya pronounced Kanemori's the better. Tadami took the failure too hard to his heart; and it is said that he died after ceasing to eat for some days.
"The moon has nothing to make
Me think and cry,
But, alas, my own tears alone
Do lament and fall."
Saigyo Hoshi.
"Oh, thread of my life,
Be torn off now if it must!
I fear in longer life
My secret would be hard to keep."
Shikishi Naishinno.
"I might show thee
How the Oshima island fishers' sleeves
Never change their tints, though wet through.
But, alas, tearful sleeves of mine!"
Impuku Monin no Osuke.
