Old Man. And the spring air
Tomonari. Is genial, while
(Here the chorus strikes in with a canticle which is chanted as the indispensable accompaniment of every regular Japanese wedding, and is one of the best known passages in Japanese literature. Figures representing the two old folks under the fir-tree with brooms in their hands are, on such occasions, set out on a sort of tray. This is a favourite subject of the Japanese artist.)
Chorus.
On the four seas
Still are the waves;
The world is at peace:
Soft blow the time-winds,[1]
Rustling not the branches.
In such an age
Blest are the very firs,
In that they meet
To grow old together.
Vain indeed
Are reverent upward looks;
Vain even are words to tell
Our thanks that we were born
In such an age,
Rich with the bounty
Of our sovereign lord.
. . . .
Old Man. I hear the sound of the bell of Onoye, in Takasago.
Chorus.
The dawn is near,
And the hoar-frost falls
On the fir-tree twigs;
But its leaves' dark green
Suffer no change.
Morning and evening
- ↑ The land and sea breezes, which blow regularly only in fine weather.
