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— 216 —
O wo motte
Kane ni mukaeru,—
Tombo kana!
Only with his tail he thinks to oppose [the weight of] the great temple-bell,—O silly dragon-fly!
Naki-hito no
Shirushi no take ni
Tombo kana!
Lo! a dragon-fly rests upon the bamboo that marks the grave!
Itte wa kite
Tombō taezu
Fune no tsuna.
About the ropes of the ship the dragon-flies cease not to come and go.
Tombō ya
Fune wa nagarete
Todomarazu.
The dragon-fly ceases not to flit about the vessel drifting down the stream.
註
