A Song for the Children of Nakajo

A Song for the Children of Nakajo

Nakajo is a town in a valley of the Kushigata mountains on the western coast of Japan, traditionally famous for its water, its rice, and its tulips. And now famous for its delightful, beautiful children.

Sweet is the water of Niigata
Fresh from the Dokkon spring,
But sweeter the children that play
In the valley of the Tainai
Under the Kushigata.

Remember them at daybreak,
Rising with the mist;
Consider the days of June
And the searching of your hearts,
Close woven as tatami.

Let the mothers of Hokkaido cry out,
And let their sisters answer:
“Remember the children of Nakajo,
Bright as the tulip field,
Strong as Mount Tossaka!”

And when the winds are warm
Far off upon the Nansei
And the breath of Okinawa
Sings upon the sea,
Tell them what you left behind
And what you took away.

Let the fathers from my homeland shout,
And let their brothers answer:
“Upon the wooded mountains,
Near to the Nippon Sea
When the children of Nakajo sing and dance,
My heart comes home to me,
My heart comes home to me!”

And you who speak of peace
Must now pursue it,
For the sun goes down upon them
At the dying of the day,
And sleep will close the eyes
Of children west and east,
Who will not come awake
Until you give them morning.

*****

Glossary

Niigata= prefecture (province) on the Sea of Japan
Dokkon= famous water source in this area
Tainai= a valley between the mountains and the sea
Kushigata= shortest mountain range in Japan
tatami= straw floor mats typical to Japanese homes
Hokkaido= northernmost of Japanese islands
Mount Tossaka= tallest mountain in the area
Nansei= small island chain containing Okinawa