Tanoshimi wa
Mare ni uo nite
Kora mina ga
Umashi umashi to
Iite kuu toki
|
It is a pleasure
When, a most infrequent treat,
We’ve fish for dinner
And my children cry with joy
“Yum-yum!” and gobble it down.
|
Tanoshimi wa
Sozoro yomiyuku
Kaki no naka ni
Ware to hitoshiki
Hito wo mishi toki
|
It is a pleasure
When, in a book which by chance
I am perusing,
I come on a character
Who is exactly like me.
|
Tanoshimi wa
Yo ni tokigataku
Suru kaki no
Kokoro wo hitori
Satorieshi toki
|
It is a pleasure
When, without receiving help,
I can understand
The meaning of a volume
Reputed most difficult.
|
Tanoshimi wa
Ebisu yorokobu
Yo no naka ni
Kōkoku wasurenu
Hito wo miru toki
|
It is a pleasure
When, in these days of delight
In all things foreign,
I come across a man who
Does not forget our Empire.
|
Tachibana Akemi (1812–1868)
Translated by Donald Keene
