Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/29

Rh considered to be the representative works of the Yedo Period, and jōruri, and gikyoku or drama, are commonly used as synonyms. The jōruri is in form an epic poem, consisting of a long story, written largely in a series of the alternation of seven- and five-syllable phrases, as follows:

'' No-ko-ru tsu-bo-mi no
 * Ha-na hi-to-tsu

Mi-zu a-ge-ka-ne-shi
 * Fu-ze-i ni-té

Shi-an na-ge-ku-bi
 * Shi-o-ru-ru ba-ka-ri.

Yō-yō na-mi-da
 * O-shi-to-do-mé

Ha-ha sa-ma ni-mo
 * Ba-ba sa-ma ni-mo

Ko-re kon-jō no
 * I-to-ma-go-i.

Ko-no mi-no ne-ga-i
 * Ka-nō ta-re-ba

O-mo-i o-ku-ko-to
 * Sa-ra-ni na-shi.
 * Etc. etc. ''

Alone left, he fell into reverie, With drooping head like a flower withering, Incapable of drawing water up.