Current mood:	jubilant
Entry tags:	japanese/日本語, translated by me, translation to: english, transliteration: roman alphabet

Kaneko Misuzu (金子みすゞ) was a Japanese poet and songwriter. She was born in Senzaki-mura (now part of Nagato in the Yamaguchi Prefecture), a fishing village. Scenes of nature frequently appear in her work, most of which is for children.

I enclose one of her most popular poems, with a simple translation:

私と小鳥と鈴と

私が両手をひろげても、
お空はちっとも飛べないが、
飛べる小鳥は私のように、
地面を速く走れない。

私が体をゆすっても、
きれいな音はでないけど、
あの鳴る鈴は私のように、
たくさんな唄は知らないよ。

鈴と、小鳥と、それから私、
みんなちがって、みんないい。

watashi to kotori to suzu to

watashi ga ryōte o hirogete mo
osora wa chitto mo tobenai ga
toberu kotori ha watashi yō ni
jimen o hayaku hashirenai

watashi ga karada o yusutte mo
kirei na oto wa denai kedo
ano naru suzu wa watashi no yō ni
takusan na uta wa shiranai yo

suzu to kotori to sorekara watashi
minna chigatte, minna ii

Me, the Little Bird, and the Bell

Although I stretch out both my arms
I can't fly in the sky
But the little bird that flies
Can't run as quickly on the ground as I can.

Although I can shake my body
No pleasing sound comes out
But the ringing bell
Doesn't know as many songs as I do.

The bell, the little bird, and then me:
We’re all different from one another, but we’re all good.