Op eendepoten ... [MB]

Op eendepoten
waggel ik warmpjes gehuld
in een donsmantel.

On wild ducks' legs
I waddle snugly wrapped
in a down coat.


Vertaling/Translation: 白狐

[Matsuo-Bashô-874] [Winter, 1693.]
kegóromo nì / tsutsúmitè nukúshi / kámo no ashí.


"in-dons-mantel / gehuld te warmen / van-eend poot."
"in-down-coat / wrapped to-warm (nukúnuku=snugly) /
of-wild-duck foot/leg/paw.

[Jane Reichhold believes the "wild duck's feet" to be the object of
warming (wrapping warmth around a ...) and even dropped the
preposition before "feather-down robe" making it the subject and
she turned the verb nukushi into an object noun. But the down coat
makes Bashô look like a wild duck, so he compares his legs to those
of wild ducks, in other words he thought he looked silly walking
about in that down coat.]