Love-Song

(Province of Kii,--village of Ogawa)

Koe wa suredomo Sugata wa mienu-- Fuka-no no kirigirisu!

Though I hear the voice [of the beloved], the form I cannot see--a kirigirisu in the high grass.

The kirigirisu is a kind of grasshopper with a very musical note. It is very difficult to see it, even when it is singing close by, for its color is exactly the color of the grass. The song alludes to the happy peasant custom of singing while at work in the fields.