Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 2.djvu/203

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THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

In unbroken line Stand from age to age. To that God our sires Service leal and true Rendered with strong hearts, Leaving for their sons A mirror to all time. Sons, the ancestral name Lose not from your hearts; Sons, Otomo's fame Cherish by brave deeds.


II

In the age divine Otomo's earliest sire, Okomenushi hight, Loyal service wrought. If at sea he served, To the waves his corpse, If on shore he served, To the moor his bones, Would he gladly fling For the sovereign's sake. You, his sons, to whom He bequeathed his name, His heroic name; Guard it by your deeds, By your loyal deeds Make it loved of men. Bow and shaft in hand, Blade and sword in belt, Gladly hold the charge; Guarding stand at morn, Guarding stand at eve.

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