Chiru-hana ni—
Karusa arasoü
Kochō kana!
[How the butterfly strives to compete in lightness with the falling flowers![1]]
Chōchō ya!
Onna no michi no
Ato ya saki!
[See that butterfly on the woman's path,—now fluttering behind her, now before!]
Chōchō ya!
Hana-nusubito wo
Tsukété-yuku!
[Ha! the butterfly!—it is following the person who stole the flowers!]
Aki no chō
Tomo nakéréba ya;
Hito ni tsuku.
[Poor autumn butterfly!—when left without a comrade (of its own race), it follows after man (or "a person" )!]
- ↑ Alluding probably to the light fluttering motion of falling cherry-petals.
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