Songs of a Cowherd
by Itō Sachio, translated by Shio Sakanishi
4621324Songs of a CowherdShio SakanishiItō Sachio

Winter Fields

Over the field by the shore
When the wind blows high, the sand rises.
Fearing the young barley may be blown away,
A woman, treading, steadies its roots.

Horse-beans and barley, too,
Are huddled, freezing,
But plum trees that know the spring,
Make ready to bloom.