11
Kogitsune
The little fox

kogitsune konkon1)

yamanonaka yamanonaka

kusanomi tsubushite okeshôshitari

momijino kanzashi tsugenokushi

 

 

kogitsune konkon

fuyunoyama fuyunoyama

karehano kimonoja nu’unimo nuezu

kireina moyôno hanamo nashi

 

 

kogitsune konkon

ananonaka ananonaka

ôkina shippowa jamaniwanarushi

kokubio kashigete kangaeru

 

The little fox calls “konkon”

in the mountains, in the mountains.

It makes itself up with crushed herbs

and embellishes its hair with a maple leaf

     and a hair comb made of boxwood.

 

The little fox calls “konkon”

in the wintery mountains, the wintery mountains.

It cannot saw a Kimono out of withered leaves,

and there are no flowers for the Kimono’s pattern,

     either.

 

The little fox calls “konkon”,

in its den, in its den.

Because its bushy tail is in its way,

it turns its head and thinks.

1) onomatopoetic expression for a fox’s barking

Entitled “Time of joy”, this song was published in the second part of the “Meiji song-book” in 1888. The lyrics that are used here were only written for a third grade school-book in 1947.