Tangled Hair/My Great Grandmother's Prayer Beads

Tangled Hair
by Akiko Yosano, translated by Shio Sakanishi
4589877Tangled HairShio SakanishiAkiko Yosano

My Great Grandmother’s
Prayer Beads

I know not of my great grandmother,
But I am told she was fond of splendor.
Being tired of the beads of crystal,
Being tired of the beads of coral,
She told the beads of sapphire.

As I am poor and have no toys to bestow,
I unstring the beads of sapphire
And place them one by one
In the palms of my children’s hands.