Pathway to Japanese Literature

Osandaishiyosama is, in the Hitachi region dialect,

Santai-boshi refers to the three-altar stars.

Osandaishiyosama

On the roof

Wheat-pounding in the shadow of the mortar

Pestle Pillow—— (Farmers' Song)

The late nights of the rural village were endured, yet for me—

A dear star it was.

“Cross that mountain”

Cross that mountain

“Won’t you go with me?”

Crossing the mountain

Cross that mountain

“Won’t you go?”

“If you take me along,”

“Even if I were to go...”

“Because there are demons.”

“I don’t want to.”

Sake

“Sake is a fine thing”

“Sake is (Arayo)”

Sake is (sa) sake is life's (dondomanmahoi)
Rejuvenation, rejuvenation
Does life grow thin with youth?
With sake (Hey now)
With sake (sa) with sake life (dondomanmahoi)
Rejuvenate, rejuvenate

The sky glows with sunset.

The sky glowed with sunset; the tavern lay distant.

Shall we go see some pretty girls?

Hey now! Thump-thump, pound-pound!

Out of longing to meet and see lovely women,

To the distant tavern to drink sake

Hey now! Thump-thump, pound-pound!

Why mope with tavern sake?

Aren't we those who fell in love through drunkenness?

Hey now! Thump-thump, pound-pound!

Dream Bird

I, a woman—
In sadness
If cast aside, even society—

The world narrows

A Woman's Willpower

Dream Bird

Through the Dream Bird's call,

Free wings spread -

Even when forbidden "Don't come",

I go to meet.

I am a woman!

I am a woman!

Beloved one,

If I brood over it,

I could become a snake.

In this eternal world

Brief is life

After all, this world...

This bitter world of suffering!

Let me live through love.

Beloved one,

Love is freedom.
Freedom—true freedom.
If you take me along—
Through demon-haunted lands,
To a distant world's
Very end.

Harshness and dread—

Beloved one,

I do think—
Love I shan't pursue.

Spring moon

I

At the rouge shop, what the girl says—

(Sano) What they say—

The spring moon, hazed thinly

(To, saisai) A thin haze

A face applied with pale rouge, they said.

(Sano) When she applied

Perhaps I'll apply pale rouge too.

(To, saisai) Perhaps I'll apply.

II

At the flour shop, what the younger sister says—

(Sano) What they say—

My older sister wears light makeup.

(To, saisai) Light makeup

Her face faintly cherry blossom pink.

(Sano) Cherry blossom color

Perhaps I'll apply light makeup too.

(To, saisai) Perhaps I'll do.

Kannon Bodhisattva

Song

“I of Asakusa’s
Kannon Bodhisattva—”

Lyrics

“If I tell Mother—”

“You mustn’t.”

Song

“And moreover, the lit light—

At twilight—

Lyrics

“If I’ve told her—”

“That would be troublesome.”

Song

"At the roof tiles—

She was gazing—

Lyrics

“If I tell Kannon-san—”

“You mustn't.”

Song

Pigeons on the roof
Evening faded.
Exotic atmosphere
I want to become a bride

I want a dear groom
Fate lies distant
Alas for compassion!
Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
Fate stands remote!
Adorn yourself finely
If you catch no eyes
Fate shall not come.

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

To catch people's eyes,

I went out to the gate and looked.

Today too is empty.

Night fell.

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Why not golden tea—

Dye your hair

With exotic air

Fate will come too!

Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Dawn Plovers

Tonight's concealed thing—
Though not love (sai-sai)

Plovers since duskfall
Trill-trilling their song

Cold—the riverbank's
Dawn Plovers (sai-sai)

I am on love's path—
I will not go

Love—on love's path

In the time of concealment—(sai-sai)

I am flame—
Flames too I spat

Eaves Sparrow
At the eaves, a sparrow's
in what it speaks—
From the window, a letter

lightly tosses it

lightly glances and slips into sleeve

Lightly inserted it into the sleeve.

*Ara-ra no ra*

*Ara-ra no ra*

Mother doesn't know.

*Ara-ra no ra*

Father doesn't know.

*Ara-ra no ra*

Parental Love

When your sleeve is pulled,

Say "I refuse!"

If hailed with "Hey!"

Hide your face

I was about fourteen.

Uninitiated, I passed through.

Twenty-one broke.

Fourteen and seven.

“Please listen, Mother—”

“Mother oh”

A burning heart—

Cannot be hidden.

Rapeseed Flower Dance

Bloom, rapeseed flowers!

Thrive, rapeseed leaves! Hoi-hoi!

The moon—a broken shard

Out in daylight—sway-sway—hoi-hoi!
With me out in daylight

The moon—a broken shard—hoi-hoi!

Longing for companions—

The spirit grows despondent—sway-sway—hoi-hoi!

They've been given companions—

Suchya chyara chyaraka Hoi-hoi

Gazing upon companions—
We live on—sway-sway—hoi-hoi!
Bloom, rapeseed flowers!
Thrive, rapeseed leaves—hoi-hoi!
The flowers all bloom—
Leaves thrive—sway-sway—hoi-hoi!
In broad daylight—

The rapeseed leaves thrived—Hoi-hoi!
The moon grew impatient—
Withering slender—sway-sway—Hoi-hoi!
Charming—emerging in daylight
Slender-withered moon—Hoi-hoi!
Longing for companions—
Dreams too we dreamed—sway-sway—Hoi-hoi!

The Girl and the Shipwright

Girl

I built a bridge—

To Ondo no Seto

Long to journey through—

Mr. Shipwright, oh

Shipwright

Driven by the tide—
The bridge washes away

Girl

The bridge washes away—

I too shall flow.

A small boat—I want one.

Mr. Shipwright, oh—

Shipwright

A boat without oars—

Is swept away.

Girl

The bridge was driven.

The boat was swept away.

In the midst of passing through,

Mr. Shipwright, oh

Shipwright

Make life your sail

Sail through!

Love Leaves the Nest

Love Leaves the Nest?

Evening's dear star—

Brushed—it teeters yet already emerges
Brushed—it teeters—
Already emerged—

Being a woman indeed—
Tears too turn fragile
By love's sweetness am I made to weep
By love's sweetness—
Am made to weep
The sky hangs twilight.

Evening's dear star—

With an innocent heart, I yearn.

With an innocent heart—

I yearn.

The snipe's cry

The snipe's cry

Even when evening comes,

Mother doesn't come.

I wonder if Mother will come.

I went out to look—

Swoop swoop, fly away.

The snipe's cry.
The snipe cries in the fields.
Beloved bird.
Even waiting—Mother’s...
When she doesn't come—
In the strait's rice fields.

The snipe always cries.

Iwate Folk Song

○

Iwate's Half-Fuji

In the shadow of that mountain
With such a heart, Sister—
How to live—
○
Thinking of Sister—
In the shadow of that mountain
Snow too hangs faint— Sister—
Doesn't it melt—

Kasamatsu Weaving Workshop Song

I

Said, said, said,

Mother said.

"Mino's Kasamatsu—

A good place to live.

If we're to go the same way,

For Mino striped weaving,

'Go, daughter,' she said.

She spoke wise words."

II

Clack clack clack

Life at the workshop

The heart ever

Clack clack youth

Last night I dreamed

The workshop's dream—

“Shall we go, Mother?”

For Mino striped weaving
Attendants
Even the sky's clouds
At day's end

Buffeted by the wind

Prone to scattering

The wind—mercifully,
The wind does not blow.
The rain—mercifully,
The rain does not fall.

Mercy's wind—
Though called wind,
Brings tears to flow—
Nothing but sorrows

Beneath the young pine
Because the pheasant cries
They went out and saw the mountains—
Pheasant beneath young pine
Pheasant beneath young pine
It cries in the shade.
The mountain is a burned mountain.

In the burned mountain's shade
The pheasant tries to dwell—
It cannot settle.
To dwell—it cannot.

To the young pine's shade
Hiding form
Hiding form
The pheasant—it cries
The pheasant—a bird yet—

It hid its form—
Evading notice—
How pitiable!
Bush Warbler

Where were you born—

Bush warbler—

I of the valley,

Thicket-reared—

When leaving the valley:

Ice raft,

The mountains speckled,

Snow too falls

Due to the long journey,

I had grown haggard—

Even revealing myself...

How shameful!

How shameful!

Female pheasant
The female pheasant—

In the miscanthus field

Searching for children—

Flutter-flutter—

My dear child!

The miscanthus field was deep—

Cluck-cluck cluck-chik—

Flutter-flap

In the west—cluck-cluck
In the east—cluck-cluck
Charred wisteria vines
If seen—cluck-cluck

"My dear child!"
The ground stretched wide.
"Where lies the ground?"
"The edge perhaps."

Over the first mountain

In the shadow of the second mountain

The same field lies here—
A plain lies here too—
The female pheasant—

Over ground—

Stepping and crying out—
Flutter-flutter

Plum and bush warbler—
Plum and bush warbler—

Flickers to perch,
Lingers fleetingly—
So they sing—

On bamboo, the sparrow—
Perches harmoniously—

At the plum tree, I—
I come to perch
Hoo hoo—sweetly trilling
Hoo—sweetly trilling

Well bucket

When the well bucket was struck
The sparrow—
Scatter-winged
Wheeled round
Scatter-winged

The sparrow—
The well bucket—with a glance—
Flew off in escape.

At the Yalu River

Rafts borne by the Yalu River—

Entrusted to water—
Exactly like my
Own fate—
Each day's
Wind-borne course
Unknown to others—
Sleeves wringing tears

At Musashino

Skylark's song—
Nostalgic song—
I too was once—

Country-born—
In the field—

Wheat-straw flutes blown

*Kasamatsu Ditty*

From Kiso's Ontake
Even the flowing water—

Briefly—Kasamatsu's

Stagnates at shore

Even the water's flow—
Kasamatsu—how I yearn

Lingering in farewell—

Briefly—stagnates

(Note: Kasamatsu Town is located on the bank of the Kiso River in Gifu Prefecture)

*Takegahana Ditty*

Clatter-clatter Takegahana
A fine, fine, fine place
Fly away I would

Wings we desire

To fly yet remain earthbound

Wringing our solitary sleeves

If only sparrows'—

Wings we desire

(Note: Takegahana Town was a small city in Mino Province.)

Beppu Hot Springs Ditty

Umi Jigoku

Is this the sea's depths?

I kept thinking—

Beppu Sea Hell

In the mountains

Tsurumi Jigoku

Unrestrainable

My heart is—

Just like Tsurumi's—

Active Hell

Yahata Hell

I am Beppu's—

Yahata Hell

Snapping off piece by piece

I endure the days

Chi no Ike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell)

How utterly sorrowful!

Chi no Ike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell)

So much that this world—

This world cannot be considered—

Bōzu Jigoku

Inga Jigoku (Causality Hell)

If you wish to see—come!

Inga Jigoku (Causality Hell) is—

Bōzu Jigoku (Monk Hell)

*Hita Ditty*

○

The tea buds sprout

Ayu at the rapids

Ascend

The tea-picking women too

Will soon arrive

○

When tea-picking ends,

Ayu at the rapids

Descend

Gazing at the swift rapids

Wringing sleeves

(Note.
Hita District, Ōita Prefecture is a production area for wild tea.)

Owari Okumachi Weaving Mill Song

I

Come, come, come
Come to this town
If you come, while you're here—
Weave while you're here
Settle in and find it livable
Live on and find it good

Owari Okumachi is

is a weaving mill

II

They cried, cried, cried
They returned and cried
Peering at the eaves' edge
A sparrow darted by
Though bid "Come tonight"
How could we ever meet?
Owari Okumachi is

is a moonlit night

Wild Sparrow・Sparrow

Wild Sparrow・Sparrow

A traveling (chirp-chirp) sparrow?
Wild sparrow・Sparrow
When even night (chirp-chirp) dawns
Crying Sparrow

In the mountains (murmur) they slept

Under the withered tree (hush)
At the shore (chirp-chirp) they slept
On the pebbles (hush)

Now (chirp-chirp) they have no home
Wild sparrows・Sparrows

Gazing at the chirping sky

Passing their days

Dear doll

Until seven or eight

Wore red geta

Dear doll,

When I see red geta

I remember

Red-thonged

In the days of wearing geta

Dear doll,

Mother and I,

We drifted off to sleep

Before we knew it,

How bashful

Dear doll,

Pale pathos'

Dreams too are dreamt

Three Thousand Worlds
Vast is this world
Three Thousand Worlds

Children without parents
Come, everyone
My tears
As countless as grains of sand

I tried counting them, but

Innumerable

My tears

Sparrow birds

Become all,

To the sparrow birds,

Sparrow A Kurazō

They cannot build

Port

If the mountain clears

"Mama, Mama"

"Ah, there at the port"

The wind blows
The wind of parting
"Mama,"
Ah—my
Blows upon sleeves

If mountains cloud over
"Papa! Papa!"
There at port
Rain falls
Rain becomes tears

“Papa,”

Ah—my

Fell upon sleeves

Bramble berries

Oh, how cold!

The cold bites.

Red brambles'

Berries fall.

Mountain tree fruits too

Fallen perhaps

Oh, how cold!
The cold persists.

Frost reaches even the mountains.
Frost has fallen perhaps

Inaba Sunset Glow

Inaba Sunset Glow

Every mountain seen
In the mountains—
Treeless
Nothing but mountains
In the mountains—
Trees—there are none
That mountain area—
Bizen or Bingo?
Okayama?
Wagtail

In the shade of reed leaves came a rustling swish.
The Wagtail stirred up commotion.
When they threw stones, dusk had already fallen.
It flew away.
Reeds swayed in evening calm with whispering rustles.
"Wagtail, return!"
"Fly and escape—dusk has come!"

They did not throw stones.

Carp's Waterfall Ascent

Carp's Waterfall Ascent

Carp's Waterfall Ascent!

Relying on water
Ascending the waterfall

The waterfall—the waterfall's water
The gutter water now—
Relying on the gutter
Flowing
Laughing gate
At the laughing gate
Fortune comes, they say
Let us live with laughter

Everyone,

If one lives with laughter,
household peace prevails throughout.
Joyful—joyfully lived,
these days unfold—
Joyousness permeates
the household's rhythm—
Perpetual calm—
Waves never rising—
Eternal Spring—
The sky blossoms thick with flowers.

Rapeseed Blossom Weather

Crimson flowers bloom—

Everyone longs for love

From crimson flowers

Spilling and falling,

Blossom droplets—

Drawn yet never exhausted

Maiden, stay young

May the world be tranquil

Flowers are Tokoyo’s—

Bloom in spring—

Farmers' Song

Farmers' Song

One hoe-stroke—

Strike with a Thud-thwack—

Two hoe-strokes—

Strike with a Grunt-swing—

Plow this field—

One break—

Tobacco smoke’s

One break—

The Day Spring Arrives

On the day spring arrives—

In the heart's depths

Young ladies,

The grass put forth timid sprouts.

Would they not burgeon?

As sprouted grass,

If left untouched,

Young ladies,

Soon leaves emerged—

The leaves grew thick,

Those thriving leaves—

If left as they were,

Young ladies,

At last, here and there—
Flowers also bloom—

Sky-flying bird

If it's a sky-flying bird
its destination matters not
entrusted to the blue sky's will
it must fly

If it's a ship with sails set—
its course matters not
entrusted to the blowing wind's will
it must sail

If it's a tugged sleeve—
its path matters not—
entrusted to the destination's will—
it must go

If it's flowing water—
its journey matters not—
entrusted to the mercy of shallows and depths—
it must flow

Alleyway birth

Of wet nurses and parasols

Young ladies,

I am of the lower town
Alleyway-born
Butterfly-and-flower though—
No tender nurture—

More than birth parents

The ones who raised me—
My parents too—alleyway
Corner-born
I and all of you
My spirit too was rough

Every time I saw a fox

Every time I saw a fox

I pondered (Dokkoi!)
To the lovely woman:
"Why won't you transform?
If you'd but change form—"

There are stories to tell (Dokkoi!)

To transform as a fox—

Untold

Heel
They beat their heel
They saw their heel and cried
While looking at their heel
They threw the sieve
The sieve was an empty sieve
Rolling and spinning—
Heels forgotten
They were looking at the sieve
Young bee
Pear guarding—

The young bees were detestable
Young bees—
Young bees came flying—
The young bees stung the pear—

That mountain's shadow
The mountain frost-withered
The moon wanes slender
Even if the moon was out
In the shadow of that mountain—
Demons dwell there, I suppose

“Hey now, Mother”

Original Rice-Polishing Song

Gazing at the bucket—the rice gets polished

The good farmers—

Gaze at the fields—the storehouse rises

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

To polish one bucket takes drawing ten buckets of water

The morning star of dawn

Still glimmering there

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

If they don't hand over this bucket, the preparation'll get delayed.

If the preparation gets delayed

They're dismissed.

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

If they're dismissed, they bid farewell to the sake brewery.

At that time—

They bid tearful farewell to that girl

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

At that time—at that time—farewell, farewell.

Entrusting to Lord Heaven

Footloose

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

If that's how it is—will they come to this land next year?

Since there’s no certainty,

All the more reason to bid tearful farewell to that girl

(Thump-thump, keep pounding and polish it clean!)

Watermelon Watch

In the watermelon field

We won't go

Because there are foxes.

We won't go

Hoi-hoi, get to it!

Watermelon Watch

In the watermelon field

Get up and get to it!

Dragonflies in the field

If you chase after a dragonfly,

They escaped into the field.
Dragonflies!
Dragonflies in the field
Swish swish
Born farmers' children

We're country folk

Born farmers' children
Gazing at pond snails
We lived our days
You're Tokyo's
Well-bred young miss
Our very birth

It's different!

Wheat sprouts

Wheat sprouts bud forth

Geese, geese returning

When one returns,

Another one returns

Returning geese
Parting brings sorrow
While watching the fields
Crying out as they rise

If I were a bird
If I were a bird (Yoh)
To the crow (Yanresahoi)
Crying out the dawn (Yoh)

Want to tell (Yanresahoi)

Crying out the dawn (Yoh)

The crows (Yanresahoi)

Stirring up commotion (Yoh)

Roam about (Yanresahō)

Tea leaves

Tea leaves

One

As sparrows return
At twilight hour
Light snow flurries scatter

The snow came and fell.

Of the tea tree fields'

On the tea plant’s tea leaves

II

Sparrows would come chirping

They came, they saw, they cried out

Of tea tree fields
On tea leaves
Light snow falls—melts
The snowfall fell—melted

III

In the tea tree fields

The tea tree’s leaves

Light snow Ya fell despite

At twilight time

Sparrows alight on tea leaves
Had alighted
Chichibu Mitsumine

In the morning, morning mist

In the evening, oh

Mist

Chichibu Mitsumine

In the mist

Enveloped in mist,
Mitsumine-sama too
Was shrouded in fog,
Remaining veiled still.

Sleep.

Rapeseed flower field

In the field, rapeseed flowers
Bloomed, they say.
When the rapeseed flowers bloom
Let's go see them bloom
The rapeseed field
Twilight glow
At dusk, the stars too
They say they'll emerge.
If the stars too have emerged
Let's go see them bloom
The stars too twinkle
Twilight glow
Become a bell I would!
Become a bell I would!
Ding dang dong of the bell
Strike it ding dang dong
In the ringing bell

Ding dang dong now.
The bell lives carefree.
Ding-dang-dong's ding
Strike with ding-dang-dong's
Ding rings
Ding dang dong now.
If we must become something
Through ding-dang-dong bells
Strike with ding-dang-dongs
In ringing bells

Ding dang dong now.

Become a bell I would!

Ding dang dong's ding

Round and edgeless

Lived.

Ding dang dong now.

Autumn wind.

When evening comes
The wind—autumn?
Rustling gently

At the field-edge grasses
Rustling gently

The wind blows
The wind at the field's edge too
Now it is autumn indeed.
The insects that sing in the fields

Autumn insects, perhaps?
Faintly.
In the shade of grass blades

Thinly.

The insects sang.
The grass-tip insects too,
Now it was autumn indeed.
Tsushima Kouta
Tsushima, Tsushima,

The day's end

The hour arrives—

The wind too longed for Tsushima,
Yearning to blow there.
When swept by its force,
Even plants and trees bent low,
Swaying helplessly,
While sleeve-stirring breezes
Came whispering through.

(Note: It has long been said that Tsushima Town in Aichi Prefecture has had many beautiful women since ancient times.)

Stray Crow

“Because the crow caws,”

When I go out to look—nothing’s there.

“Oh Mother”

I—by the crow
I was deceived.

“Oh Mother!”
“It’s that stray crow!”

The Deceiving Crow

“Oh Mother,”
“Even if the crow caws,”
“I won’t come out anymore.”

"Oh, Mother"

Oyama Kouta

One

Enveloped in mist,

Oyama clouds over

Clang-clang-clang

When Oyama clouds over,

Horse,

Turns to rain.

Two

Oyama rains down

Tiptoes slip

Clang-clang-clang

Slip and tumble

Horse

To the valley bottom

Three

The valley's a deep gorge

Bottomless hell

Clang-clang-clang

Fall, and it's hell

Horse

Take care

Four

Don't urge, don't hasten

The summit remains distant
Clang-clang-clang
Without rushing, without hastening
Horse
Walk faster!

Five

The wind grows fierce

The mountain clears up

Clang-clang-clang

When it clears up, blue sky

Horse

The day grew calm

Autumn moon

Gazing at O Moon
Grown dimmer now
Even though O Moon shines
Autumn moon
Swaying through pampas grass
Dreaming
Rise, mist, rise!
At the mountain's edge
A dream of seeing O Moon

Blue dream
A sleeve dampened
Dreaming
Highland gale

(The highland gale is a mountain wind blowing down from the Nikko mountain range.)

No wonder it's cold
Highland gale—

Up to horse ears

Freezing returns

Horse, you must be cold

Highland gale—sway-ho!

Amidst light snow flurries

Blows down

Light snow oh fluttering

Jōshū is snow

Oh dear, the weaving shed too

Already snow.

Jōshū snow falls

The dawn star too—sway-ho!

Whitening, whitening

Grows piercingly cold

Forgetting their old nest
Forgetting their old nest
Forgetting their old nest
The little birds'
The children—
Where could they be?
They don't return
Putting this child to sleep
Because the doves coo-coo call
Won't they return?
Return we will, return we will

We'll cross over that mountain
Even as doves keep coo-coo calling
Won't they come back?
We'll return, we'll return
We'll ford across that river
Though doves still coo-coo call
Won't they come back?
We'll return, we'll return
Lay this child down to sleep

Bat

If one throws a straw sandal

The mosquito-eating bird

Mistaking it for a mosquito?

Even while being deceived

Yearning after the straw sandal

Darts apart

crow and pumpkin

In the pumpkin field

A crow has come

(Boom-ba-boom)

The crow eyes the pumpkin

Gazing.

The crow is watching—

The crow too is watching.

(Boom-ba-boom)

The crow at the persimmon tree
Flew away.

Tapping the pumpkin
Count them all
(Boom-ba-boom)

The crow acts furtively.
It looks and caws.
Does it desire the pumpkin?

Come here crow

(Boom-ba-boom)

The crow stays silent
The crow turned away
Cuckoo
Potato's
When flowers bloom
The cuckoo calls
Won't you listen?
Crossing over the sea
Is that the voice coming to call?

Crossing over the mountains

Is that the voice coming to call?

The cuckoo calls

Won't you listen?

Bean flowers

Out to the back comes

Watching the field
Because Bon is coming
Sisters,
Bean flowers even—
Have they bloomed?

Isohara Ballad

I

Sue no Matsunami

To the east lies the sea.

Don't blow—

O sea breeze

Blown by the wind—

Even the pine needles (Oh!)

Into scattered pine needles

They fall transformed.

II

Sun-darkened skin—

Born in Isohara

They were blown by the wind

In the sea breeze

Don't sing for me

Shore plovers (Oh!)

Sue no Matsunami—

Wind-scoured

(Note: Isohara Town is a scenic coastal area in Ibaraki Prefecture.)