I watched television this morning while household chores. An educational program dealing with English for infants introduced an English nursery rhyme, which is also very familiar to us Japanese people. That song was "Under the spreading chestnut tree," which we say is "Okina Kurino Kino shitade (大きな栗の木の下で)" in Japanese. Although the song has been one of our popular songs for children for decades, I just learned that the song was adopted in Japanese from overseas. I'd like to introduce to you our Japanese version for the folk song, originally from Britain.
Please refer and compare to two Youtube videos.
(Japanese version)
Youtube ==> 大きな栗の木の下で
http://youtu.be/LrtiPVwxg9U
(English version)
Youtube ==> 【こどもちゃれんじ English】【えいごのうた】Under The Spreading Chestnut Tree
http://youtu.be/K2MjR-moCR0
And these are lyrics in both languages.
| No | English | Japanese | How to read the Japanese | Translation for the Japanese (literal) |
| 1 | Under the spreading chestnut tree | 大きな栗の木の下で | Okina kurino kinoshitade | Under the (spreading) chestnut tree |
| 2 | There we sit both you and me | あなたとわたし | Anata to Watashi | You and me |
| 3 | Oh how happy we will be | なかよく遊びましょう | Nakayoku Asobimashou | Let's play (together) nicely |
| 4 | Under the spreading chestnut tree. | 大きな栗の木の下で | Okina kurino kinoshitade | Under the (spreading) chestnut tree |
As you see the above chart, what they're telling is similar to each other. Our song also sings about how we are happy as playing under the chestnuts tree. Also we have gestures by descriptions, although there's a slight difference from the English version.
In addition, thankfully, almost all kids and other Japanese people know the chestnuts song and gestures. To tell the truth, personally, it was surprising to me that the chestnuts song originally came from another country, not from my country.
The food of chestnuts and its song remind me of autumn. Is it coming to our town? When I listened to the song, I was wondering.