treading firm the soil he may never tread again he marches to war
futatabi wa fumumai tsuchi o fumishimete yuku
1937–1938 · Wartime verses
Sōmokutō · The Home Front (Jūgo)
Wake to this poem.
Santōka Alarm is an iOS app that wakes you each morning with a single poem.
Set a poem you love as your alarm.
iOS 26+
The soil of home he may never tread again. Pressing it down step by step, the soldier sets off for the war. What lies between "may never tread again" and "treading firm," the verse offers up without explaining.