Description
7 Japanese Love Songs is a seven song cycle for female medium to high voice and piano. The texts are taken from ancient and medieval Japanese love poetry. The songs range from easy to moderate difficulty. The majority are easy. The songs are tonal and very melodic. The fourth song is for solo voice. This creates a climax in what is the quietest song of the cycle.
Text
I.
A body that loves
is fragile and uncertain,
a floating boat.
The fires in the fishing boats
at night burn red,
my heart burns red.
Wooden stakes hold up
the nets against
the tide of U-ji.
The tide is
against me.
II.
"He is a fool,"
the proverb sayeth,
"who writes his name in water"
and sayeth true.
But greater folly,
through unresting nights
to dream
of one who never dreams
of you.
III.
Though I'm scolded
"Foolishness! Nonsense!"
I can't get over
love's darkness.
IV.
I want to be the moon
and shine on the bed
where he sleeps.
V.
My doubt about
his constancy
is difficult to bear;
tangled this morning
are my thoughts
as is my long black hair.
I wonder does he care?
VI.
Why should
I bitter be,
Although he
Cold has grown?
There was a
time when he to me
and I to him
were quite unknown.
VII.
The little fox,
hidden in the garden,
taking advantage of the darkness
of the night,
comes out.
And sheltered
by the Autumn vines,
slyly steals the grapes
already wet with dew.
Love,
perhaps, is not the fox,
and thou,
surely, art not the grapes.
But my heart
has stolen thee away,
secretly, no one knows.
* all text i s in P.D.