わたし
ことり
小鳥
すず
と Bird, Bell and I by
かねこみすず
金子みすゞ

Welcome to the poetry of Kaneko Misuzu, one of Japan's most famous and enduring poets, whose 512 works continue to delight children and adults alike.
Bird, Bell and I is one of Kaneko Misuzu's best known poems, and characteristically illustrates her ability to compare and contrast the experiences of living and even non-living things. Here, in two short sentences, she shows us how all things have their unique talents, and as a result all things are special in their own ways.
The Japanese title of this poem is 私と小鳥と鈴と, which actually means 'Me and Little Bird and Bell'. The poem is customarily titled 'Bird, Bell and I' in translation, reflecting the English convention of naming oneself last in a series. As Yazaki Setsuo points out in his article It's All Right to Be Yourself ⇗, in the poem itself, the final stanza actually reverses the order used in the title: 鈴と、小鳥と、それから私 (which means 'Bell and Little Bird and then Me'), deliberately demoting the reference to the speaker, perhaps in order to establish a sense of equality among people, animals and things. In the English translation, the order is kept the same in the title and the final stanza.
Image credit: Hajiri Toshikado, as used in the book Are You an Echo?
You can also watch a video introducing the poem (in Japanese and Hindi, with subtitles in English) by Tilak Bhattacharjee here ⇗.
The following Joy o' Kanji essays cover key kanji used in this poem, and will enhance your reading experience:
For more information on the life and works of Kaneko Misuzu, read our detailed Point of Interest.
The Japanese is reproduced here, with thanks, by permission of JULA Publishing Bureau, the Japanese organization that administers Kaneko's legacy. JULA, a unit of Froebel-kan ⇗, also publishes a six-volume anthology containing all 512 of Kaneko's works, from which the Japanese is taken: Kaneko Misuzu Doyo Zenshu ("The Complete Poetry of Kaneko Misuzu").
The English is taken from Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko ⇗ published by Chin Music Press ⇗, and we would like to express our thanks to the translators, Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi, as well as to the author, David Jacobson, and the illustrator, Hajiri Toshikado. Are You an Echo? is also available in Japanese - こだまでしょうか? -いちどは失われたみすゞの詩 ⇗. Both the English and Japanese versions present most of the poems in both Japanese (with furigana) and English, suitable even for beginning Japanese learners.
This text has been selected to suit reading level: Upper beginner.
However, it includes some vocabulary and phrases that you would not necessarily be expected to know at that level. We believe knowledge of such vocabulary and phrases is beneficial at any stage of Japanese language learning, as they are commonly used in everyday language.
Many of the readings in the Reading Corner, such as this one, have additional notes in the introduction. The notes often provide extra information that will help you get more out of the text, including links to articles in the Grammar library. Additional notes are included with some of the individual sentences in a reading directly below the text.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×