(Province of Shinano)
Ano yama kagé dé
Hikaru wa nanja?—
Tsuki ka, hoshi ka, hotaru no mushi ka?
Tsuki démo naiga;
Hoshi démo naiga;—
Shūto no o-uba no mé ga hikaru,—
(Chorus) Mé ga hikaru!
In the shadow of the mountain
What is it that shines so?
Moon is it, or star?—or is it the firefly-insect?
Neither is it moon,
Nor yet star;—
It is the old woman's Eye;—it is the Eye of my
mother-in-law that shines,—
(Chorus) It is her Eye that shines!
KAËRI-ODORI[99]
(Province of Sanuki)
[99] ] I am not sure of the real meaning of the name Kaëri-Odori (lit. "turn-dance" or "return-dance").
Oh! the cruelty, the cruelty of my mother-in-law!—
(Chorus) Oh! the cruelty!
Even tells me to paint a picture on running water!
If ever I paint a picture on running water,
You will count the stars in the night-sky!
Count the stars in the night-sky!
—Come! let us dance the Dance of the Honorable Garden!—
Chan-chan!
Cha-cha!
Yoitomosé,
Yoitomosé!
Who cuts the bamboo at the back of the house?—
(Chorus) Who cuts the bamboo?—
My sweet lord's own bamboo, the first he planted,—
The first be planted?
—Come! let us dance the Dance of the Honorable Garden!—
Chan-chan!
Cha-cha!
Yoitomosé,
Yoitomosé!
Oh! the cruelty, the cruelty of my mother-in-law!—
Oh! the cruelty!
Tells me to cut and make a hakama[100] out of rock!
If ever I cut and sew a hakama of rock,
Then you will learn to twist the fine sand into thread,—
Twist it into thread.
—Come! let us dance the Dance of the Honorable Garden!—
Chan-chan!
Cha-cha!
Yoitomosé,
Yoitomosé!
Chan-chan-chan!
[100] ] A divided skirt of a peculiar form, worn formerly by men chiefly, to-day worn by female students also.