< Page:Insect Literature by Lafcadio Hearn.djvu
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— 222 —

Tombō no
Tō bakari tsuk
Kara-e kana!

Only ten dragon-flies—all clinging to the same withered spray!

Yosogoto no
Naruko ni nigeru,
Tombo kana!

Poor dragon-fly! Scared away by the clapper that never was intended for you!

Aozora ya,
Ka hodo mure-tobu
Aka-tombo.

High in the azure sky the gathering of red dragon-flies looks like a swarming of mosquitoes.

Furu-haka ya;
Aka-tombo tobu;
Kare shikimi.

Old tomb!—[only] a flitting of red dragon-flies;—some withered [offerings of] shikimi [before the grave]!

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