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Sunday, March 28, 2010

servants

Issa, 1795 age 33

the servants
all are new...
Little New Year's

meshi tsukai atarashiki kana ko sho^gatsu

召仕新しき哉小正月

Little New Year's is celebrated on the 15th and 16th days of First Month. Meshi tsukau is an old expression for a nobleman sending for a person to come and render a service; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1612. Shinji Ogawa notes that in Issa's time, this phrase could signify any one of a wide range of employees, from samurai to maids.

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/ by David Lanoue.



2 comments:

Gillena Cox said...

resonating beginnings

much love
gillena

Unknown said...

hank you Gillena san,
arigatou gozaimasu.

sakuo.