| |
Anonymous translation
WHEN to Japan, the far distant, | |
| Thought this man of God to go, | |
| All assailed him with persistent | |
| Words of warning and of woe. | |
| Wind and weather, seas and surges, | 5 |
| Painted they before his eyes; | |
| Each some misadventure urges, | |
| Each some peril prophesies. | |
| |
| Silence! Speak not of the bitter | |
| Tempest, nor of winds and seas, | 10 |
| Never Hero yet, nor Ritter, | |
| Cared for such child-play as these. | |
| Let the wind blow and the weather; | |
| Flame of love by blowing grows; | |
| Let the billows rage together; | 15 |
| Straight to heaven the billow goes. | |
| |
| Hey, then, leave the vain endeavor | |
| To affright my soul with dread, | |
| Soldier’s heart, or Martyr’s, never | |
| Either powder feared or lead. | 20 |
| Spear and shaft and naked glaive or | |
| Cannon, pistol, powder, all | |
| Only make the soldier braver, | |
| To the prize of honor call. | |
| |
| Let the wind and weather wrangling | 25 |
| Whet their horns in revel rout; | |
| Let the billows growling, jangling, | |
| Toss the shattered wrecks about! | |
| On the briny field may riot | |
| North and South and East and West, | 30 |
| He whose heart within is quiet | |
| Never can be robbed of rest. | |
| |
| Who would not the sea confronting | |
| Cross its thousand waves content, | |
| If with bow and arrows hunting | 35 |
| Many thousand souls he went? | |
| Who at any wind would tremble | |
| Or its dripping pinions fear, | |
| If he could but souls assemble; | |
| Souls, beyond all measure dear? | 40 |
| |
| Ho, ye billows strong and stately! | |
| Ho, thou strong and lordly wind! | |
| Never will I bow sedately; | |
| To withstand you is my mind! | |
| Souls, yes, souls I must have! Straightway | 45 |
| Saddle me my wooden steed; | |
| We must from the harbor’s gateway | |
| Gallop o’er the waves with speed. | |
| |
