today's footsteps the earliest come crossing the bridge
kyō no ashioto no ichihayaku hashi o watarikuru
1937–1938 · Late Gochū-an period
Sōmokutō · Persimmon Leaves (Kaki no ha)
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In the morning, footsteps earlier than anyone's come crossing the bridge. They are also the footsteps of "today" itself, the whole day. Into a town still quiet, a new day arrives on borrowed human feet.