This page needs to be proofread.
— 200 —
compel attention. For the poet, however, the true dragon-fly of autumn is the red dragon-fly:
Aki no ki no
Akatombō ni
Sadamarinu.
That the autumn season has begun is decided by the [appearance of the] red-dragonfly.
Onoga mi ni
Aki wo somenuku
Tombo kana!
O the dragonfly!—he has dyed his own body with [the color of] autumn!
Aki no hi no
Someta iro nari
Aka-tombo!
Dyed he is with the color of autumn days—O the red dragonfly!
"Spring," says a Japanese poet, "is the Season of the Eyes; Autumn is the Season of the Ears,"—meaning that in spring the blossoming of the trees and the magic of morning haze make delight for the eyes, and that in autumn the ears are charmed by the music of countless insects. But he goes on to
註
