村の鍛冶屋
Sadao sent this song with the note, "Sending an old children's song… I had sung it in elementary school. And watched sparks and heard the hammer sound in a village blacksmith about 50 years ago. But now children don't know about such as the blacksmith I suppose. And the song is not in the textbooks any longer.
Someone says the Japanese lyrics had been influenced by the poem, The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But we cannot make confirmation because the author is unknown."
村の鍛冶屋
The Village Blacksmith
Children's Song
Children's Song
(Japanese)
(English)
しばしも休まず槌うつ響き
飛び散る火花よ 走る湯玉
ふいごの風さえ息をもつがず
仕事にせい出す村のかじ屋
あるじは名高い働きものよ
早起き早寝のやまい知らず
永年きたえた自慢の腕で
うち出す鋤鍬（すきくわ）心こもる
The sound of the hammer continues without a pause
The sparks splash out, boiling water rising up
The bellows blow fiercely without taking a breath
The village blacksmith is working so hard.
The master is famous for his stubborn personality
He keeps early hours, maintaining his health
He is proud of his mastery from many long, long years
And he makes spades and hoes with confidence.
Notes
Transliteration
Shibasi mo yasumazu tsuchi utsu hibiki
Tobichiru hibana yo hashiru yudama
Fuigo no kaze sae iki omo tsugazu
Shigoto ni sei dasu mura no kajiya
Aruji wa nadakai hatarakimono yo
Hayaoki hayane no yamai shirazu
Naganen kitaeta jiman no ude de
Uchidasu suki kuwa kokoro komoru
Comments
Sadao wrote this with the song:
村の鍛冶屋
作詞作曲不詳
1912 年文部省唱歌（四年）
Village Blacksmith
From the authorized textbook of the Ministry of Education in 1912
Author of Japanese lyrics & composer unknown
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Sadao Mazuka for contributing and translating this song, for the midi tune and the transliteration. Translation edited by Lisa Yannucci with Sadao. Illustration by Monique Palomares.
