Page:Japanese Peasant Songs.djvu/38

In the Middle of the Night

This song is rather sad; a woman, lying awake, hears a group of men, probably drunk, wandering down the road and one of them she recognizes as her lover. Or, more likely, she is waiting for her husband to return and is fearful that he may be very drunk.

13

Shō no yonaka ni Futa koe mi koe Ato no hito koya[1] Ki ni kakaru Yoiya sa

In the middle of the night Two or three voices— The last voice Worries me.

Drinking with One’s Lover

This song describes the scene of two lovers getting together and exchanging cups of wine. When drinking in company it is both polite and social to exchange cups of wine as one drinks. The description of the exchange here suggests a double entendre of a man and a maid making love.

This is a hayashi in characteristic free form with lines of varying numbers of syllables but with certain regular repetitions of sound and length (cf. Song 4).

14

Ippai totta Oshōchū wo Kuro jokkya[2] Nawashite Shiro jokkya[2] Nawashite Sama to futaide Yattai[3] Tottai Suru tokkya Kokoro wo Dosh’ta monkya Ha ha ha!

A full cup taken Of wine. Into the black jug Pour it, Into the white jug Pour it. With one’s lover, When Giving, Taking— The heart How does it feel?

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1. From Koe wa?
2. Or: chokkya, for choku, a small wine cup used in Kuma.
3. Or: ottai.