_Chan-chan!

Cha-cha!

Yoitomose, Yoitomose!_

Who cuts the bamboo at the back of the house?--

(Chorus) _Who cuts the bamboo?_--

My sweet lord's own bamboo, the first he planted,--

_The first be planted?_

--_Come! let us dance the Dance of the Honorable Garden!_--

_Chan-chan!

Cha-cha!

Yoitomose, Yoitomose!_

Oh! the cruelty, the cruelty of my mother-in-law!--

_Oh! the cruelty!_

Tells me to cut and make a hakama[100] out of rock!

If ever I cut and sew a hakama of rock, Then you will learn to twist the fine sand into thread,--

_Twist it into thread._

--_Come! let us dance the Dance of the Honorable Garden!_--

_Chan-chan!

Cha-cha!

Yoitomose, Yoitomose!

Chan-chan-chan!_

[100] A divided skirt of a peculiar form, worn formerly by men chiefly, to-day worn by female students also.

OTERA-ODORI (TEMPLE-DANCE)

(_Province of Iga, village called Uenomachi_)

Visiting the honorable temple, when I see the august gate, The august gate I find to be of silver, the panels of gold.

n.o.ble indeed is the gate of the honorable temple,-- _The honorable temple!_

Visiting the honorable temple, when I see the garden, I see young pinetrees flourishing in the four directions: On the first little branch of one the _shijugara_[101] has made her nest,-- _Has made her nest_.

Visiting the honorable temple, when I see the water-tank, I see little flowers of many colors set all about it, Each one having a different color of its own,-- _A different color._

Visiting the honorable temple, when I see the parlor-room, I find many kinds of little birds gathered all together, Each one singing a different song of its own,-- _A different song._

Visiting the honorable temple, when I see the guest-room, There I see the priest, with a lamp beside him, Reading behind a folding-screen--oh, how admirable it is!-- _How admirable it is!_

[101] The Manchurian great t.i.t. It is said to bring good fortune to the owners of the garden in which it builds a nest,--providing that the nest be not disturbed and that the brood be protected.

Many kinds of popular songs--and especially the cla.s.s of songs sung at country-dances--are composed after a mnemonic plan. The stanzas are usually ten in number; and the first syllable of each should correspond in sound to the first syllable of the numeral placed before the verse.

Sometimes Chinese numerals are used; sometimes j.a.panese. But the rule is not always perfectly observed. In the following example it will be observed that the correspondence of the first two syllables in the first verse with the first two syllables of the j.a.panese word for one (_hitotsu_) is a correspondence of meaning only;--_ichi_ being the Chinese numeral:--

SONG OF FISHERMEN

(_Province of Shimosa,--town of Choshi_)[102]

[102] Choshi, a town of some importance, is situated at the mouth of the Tonegawa. It is celebrated for its _iwashi_-fishery. The _iwashi_ is a fish about the size of the sardine, and is sought chiefly for the sake of its oil. Immense quant.i.ties of _iwashi_ are taken off the coast. They are boiled to extract the oil; and the dried residue is sent inland to serve as manure.

_Hitotsutose_,-- Ichiban bune e tsumi-konde, Kawaguchi oshikomu o-yagoe.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Futatsutose_,-- Futaba no oki kara Togawa made Tsuzuite oshikomu o-yagoe.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Mitsutose_,-- Mina ichido-ni maneki wo age, Kayowase-bune no nigiyakasa

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Yotsutose_,-- Yoru-hiru taitemo taki-amaru, San-bai itcho no o-iwashi!

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Itsutsutose_,-- Itsu kite mitemo hoshika-ba ni Akima sukima wa sarani nai.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Mutsutoye_,-- Mutsu kara mutsu made kasu-wari ga o-wari ko-wari de te ni oware.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Nanatsutose_,-- Natakaki Tonegawa ichi-men ni Kasu-ya abura wo tsumi-okuru

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Yatsutose_,-- Yatebune no okiai wakashu ga, Ban-shuku soroete miya-mairi.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_

_Kokonotsutose_,-- Kono ura mamoru kawa-guchi no Myojin riyaku wo arawasuru.

_Kono tai-ryo-bune!_