瓜食めば 子ども思ほゆ 栗食めば まして偲はゆ いづくより 来りしものぞ まなかひに もとなかかりて 安寐し寝なさぬ
| uri pameba kodomo opoyu kuri pameba masite sinupayu iduku yori kitarisi mono zo manakapi ni moto nakakarite yasuisi nasanu |
When I munch on melon I think on my kids; When I chew on chestnuts I recall them all the more; Where Could they have come from, Meeting my gaze, but Briefly flitting, and Depriving me of easy sleep? |
Yamanoe no Okura
山上憶良
人來たら蛙となれよ冷し瓜
| hito kitara kawazu to nare yo hiyashi uri |
Should anyone come They’ll turn into frogs! These chilled melons. |
On melons.
あだ花は雨にうたれて瓜ばたけ
| adabana wa ame ni utarete uri batake |
Fruitless blossoms Are beaten by the rain In the melon fields. |
On autumn: on being invited to someone’s hut.
秋涼し手毎にむけや瓜なすび
| aki suzushi tegoto ni muke ya uri nasubi |
In the cool of autumn Let’s peel every single Melon and aubergine! |
(1689)
On melons.
朝霧によごれて涼し瓜の泥
| asagiri ni yogorete suzushi uri no doro |
In the morning mists Besmirched, yet cool- There’s mud upon the melons. |
(1694)