A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

What !
Songs of Japanese Children 187
Ni-sen-goku no no ni wa
Tera no mae de ko wo unda.
Juji no koromo e chi ga tsuite,
Ame-tare-mizu de aratte,
Koro no hi de abutte
Koro no hi ga taraide,
Abura-hi de abutte
Abura-hi ga taraide,
Kudo no hi de abutte;
Kudo no hi ga taraide,
Kotatsu no hi de abutte.
you
are angry ? Ah !
;
;
if you be angry, taking
inkstone and writing-brush in your honorable hand, think
of wliat you wish to write and to leave behind you I
When you have cast your body into the Purple River
[Murasaki-gawa\ small fishes will nibble it from below;
crows will pick it from above. — The crow that picked,
where is it gone ?— It has gone under a forest-tree, to sow
wheat.— How many kohu,^ how many koku have been
sown ?—Two thousand koku have been sown. — By reason
of the sowing of two thousand koku, a child is born in
front of the temple. — The upper robe of the chief priest
having been sprinkled with blood, he washed it in rain-
water, and dried it by the fire of a censer. The fire in the
censer being insufficient, he dried it by fire of oil. The fire
of oil being insufficient, he dried it by the fire of a cook-
^ Alluding to the custom of writing a letter to explain one's motives,
before suicide.
' One hohu is equal to about 5.13 busheis.
i