鐘楼の正月 New Year's Holiday of A Temple Bell

百八の　煩悩撞いて　疲れたる　正月休みの　鐘のうたた寝

　大晦日に百八もの煩悩を撞いて疲れたのか、寺の鐘は風のない元日の青空の下うたた寝をしていた。もう時の音を告げることのないこの鐘にとって、大晦日の夜だけが年に一度の大仕事なのだろう。

 Temple bells ring 108 times on 31 December in Japan. Because there are 108 worldly desire in teaching of Buddha and to hit them the day before new year's day. Nowadays some of the temple bells do not tell times, therefore this is there only job. But it is a big job for them that the reason this bell took a nap on sunny New Year's day under the blue sky.