On the Banks of the Sumida

Windy evening of autumn,

By the grey-green swirling river,

People are resting like still boats

Tugging uneasily at their cramped chains.

Some are moving slowly

Like the easy winds:

Brown-blue, dull-green, the villages in the distance

Sleep on the banks of the river:

The waters sullenly clash and murmur.

The chatter of the passersby,

Is dulled beneath the grey unquiet sky.