Page:Japanese Peasant Songs.djvu/61

Niwaka

Niwaka is the song used to accompany the special Te Odori dance of Hirayama hamlet, Suye Mura. The first two lines are sung in the same time (perhaps by the soloist), the rest is faster until the last line, which is drawn out. The nōe refrain is pronounced with a greatly lengthened ‘o.’ There are many versions and no two people use the same sequence of verses. The form of the song is an opening seven syllable line followed by the refrain nōe. This line is repeated, then there is a second repetition of this line with the refrain sai sai inserted in the middle. The last line is of five syllables and is sometimes repeated also. Thus the stanzas may be analyzed into a dodoitsu form with special refrains. An exception to this form is the opening stanza.

60a

Bochan[1] no doku[2] iku nōe Bochan[1] no doku[2] iku nōe Watashya sai sai Shinzakaya ni Shinzakaya ni Sake kai ni[3]

Young man where are you going? Young man where are you going? I am going To the new wine shop, To the new wine shop, To buy some wine.

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1. The n of Bochan (Botchan) is elided so this is actually a seven-syllable line.
2. For: doko.
3. A variant of 60a is: ​

   Neisan ga doke iku nōe Neisan ga doke iku nōe Neisan ga sai sai Shinzake ni Shinzake ni Sake hakari

   Young lady where are you going? Young lady where are you going? The young lady: For the new wine, For the new wine, A measure of wine.