Page:Insect Literature by Lafcadio Hearn.djvu/322

Rh Higurashi ya!

Sutete oitemo Kururu hi wo.

This, intended to express a melancholy mood, may seem to the Western reader far-fetched. But another little poem—referring to the effect of the sound upon the conscience of an idler—will be appreciated by any one accustomed to hear the higurashi. I may observe, in this connection, that the first clear evening cry of the insect is quite as startling as the sudden ringing of a bell:—

Higurashi ya!

Kyō no ketai wo

Omou-toki.—Rikei.

The minmin-zemi begins to sing in the Period of Greatest Heat. It is called "min-min" because its note is thought to resemble syllable "min" repeated over and over again,—slowly at first, and very loudly; then more and more quickly and softly, till the utterance dies away in a sort of buzz: "min—min 註