1812
.からからと音して亀を引ずりぬ
kara-kara to oto shite kame wo hikizurinu
with a thump, thump
the turtle drags
along
Issa loves to play with sound in his poetry. The "thump-thump" (kara-kara) gives the turtle's action a sound-track.
All translations © 1991-2010 by David G. Lanoue, rights reserved.