“He has come, he has come.”
So we cried when the boat came in
To the shore of Matsura,
The shore of Matsura.
Sailing in from the sea
Openly before us—
A Chinese ship
And a man from China,—
How could we fail to know you,
Haku Rakuten?
But your halting words tire us.
Listen as we will, we cannot understand
Your foreign talk.
Come, our fishing-time is precious.
Let us cast our hooks,
Let us cast our hooks!
HAKU.
Stay! Answer me one question.[190] Bring your boat closer and tell me, Fisherman, what is your pastime now in Nippon?
FISHERMAN.
And in the land of China, pray how do your Honours disport yourselves?
HAKU.
In China we play at making poetry.
FISHERMAN.
And in Nihon, may it please you, we venture on the sport of making “uta.”[191]
HAKU.