A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

Songs of Japanese Children 2\$
Sato no miyage ni nani morota ?
Denden-taiko ni furi-tsuzumi,
Okiagarikoboshi ni inu-iiariko.
Sleep, little one, sleep ! Where is the sleep-nurse, the
girl-nurse gone ? Over the hills to her own village-home.
When she comes back, what presents will she bring you ?
A round drum to beat and a hand-drum i to shake; an
okiagarikoboshi 1^ and a paper dog.
(Province of he.)
Nenne sanse yo
Kyo wa ni-jiu-go niclii
Asu wa kono ko no
Miya-mairi.
Miya e mairaba
Do iute ogamu ?
Kono ko ichi-dai
Mame na yo ni.
Sleep, child I sleep ! To-day is the twenty-fifth day.
To-morrow morning this child will make his first visit to
the [Shinto] parish-temple. When I go with him to the
temple, what shall I pray for ? I will pray that through
all his life this child may be healthy and strong.
^ The round shallow drum is called a dendem-taiko. The tsu^umi
is a hand-drum of a very peculiar shape. Of course the toy-drums
here referred to are considerably smaller than the real instrument.
2 The okiagarikoboshi is a little figure of a wrestler which is so
weighted as to assume an erect posture, no matter how thrown down.
!
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