赤とんぼ
鮫島有美子 Lyrics

The song "赤とんぼ" by 鮫島有美子 is a melancholic tune that tells a story of a young girl who picked mulberries in a basket in the mountains and reminisces about a time when she saw a red dragonfly on the end of a fishing rod during sunset. The opening line, "夕焼け小焼けの 赤とんぼ" (Yuuyake koyake no aka tonbo), describes a moment in the late afternoon when the sun is setting and slowly disappearing into the horizon. The girl looks upon a red dragonfly that has settled on the end of a fishing rod and flickers in the dim light. The imagery of the red dragonfly serves as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, which she came to understand after losing touch with her family.

The girl's reminiscence of her past is further highlighted in the second verse when she sings about "山の畑の 桑の実を　小かごに摘んだは　まぼろしか" (Yama no hatake no kuwa no mi wo, kogami ni tsunde wa maboroshi ka). Here, she recalls the time when she went mulberry picking in a basket in the mountains, but she wonders if it was a mere illusion. She also sings about how she got married at the age of 15, and her family forgot about her, as she moved away to start her new life as a wife. The final verse repeats the opening lines, "夕焼け小焼けの 赤とんぼ、とまっているよ 竿の先" (Yuuyake koyake no aka tonbo, tomatteiru yo sao no saki), evoking a sense of loss and wistfulness as she looks back on her life.