Sakura さくら

さくら
Cherry Blossoms
Author Unknown
作詞・作曲不詳

VERSE ONE
さくら　さくら
sakura sakura
Cherry blossoms; cherry blossoms

弥生の空は　見渡すかぎり
yayoi no sora wa miwatasu kagiri
The spring sky--as far as you can see

霞か雲か　匂いぞ出ずる
kasumi ka kumo ka nioi zo izuru
Is it a mist? Is it a cloud? The fragrence comes out!

いざや　いざや　見にゆかん
iza ya iza ya mi ni yukan
Come now, let's go see.

The above verse was the original lyrics, but in Showa 16 (1941), the Ministry of Education revised the lyrics to:

さくら　さくら
sakura sakura
Cherry blossoms; cherry blossoms

野山も里も　見わたす限り
no yama mo sato mo miwatasu kagiri
The hills and fields and countryside also as far as you can see

かすみか雲か　朝日ににおう
kasumika kumo ka asahi ni niou
Is it a mist? Is it a cloud? Fragrant in the morning sunlight

さくら　さくら　花ざかり
sakura sakura hana zakari
Cherry blossoms; cherry blossoms - flowers in full bloom

VOCAB:

VERSE ONE:
さくら sakura - cherry blossoms; Japanese cherry tree
弥生 yayoi - third month; March; spring
空 sora - sky
見渡す miwatasu - look out over...; take in the view
かぎり kagiri - limits; bound

霞か kasumi ka - is it a mist?
雲か kumo ka - is it a cloud?
匂いぞ nioizo - the smell! (the ぞ stresses)
出ずる izuru - comes out (old way to say 出る deru)

いざや iza ya - come now; well now (like さあ)
見にゆかん mi ni yukan - let's go and see (ゆかん＝いこう)

VERSE TWO:
さくら sakura - cherry blossoms; Japanese cherry tree
野 no - field
山 yama - mountains
野山 noyama - hills and fields
も mo - also
里 sato - village; countryside
見わたす mi watasu - look out over; take in the view
限り kagiri - limits; bound

かすみ kasumi - mist; haze
か ka - (shows uncertainty)
雲 kumo - cloud
朝日 asahi - morning sun; morning sunlight
におう niou - be fragrant

花ざかり hana zakari - flowers at their best