| Lyrics | Transliteration | Direct Translation | Poetic Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 高砂の | takasago no | the high sand | High are the sands, high, |
| さいささごの | sa isago no | oh, the sand | Oh, the sands around us, |
| 高砂の | takasago no | the high sand | And the sands are high, |
| 尾上に立てる | onoe ni tateru | standing at the top of the mountain slope | Standing on the mountain's slope |
| 白玉玉椿 | shiratama tamatsubaki | a pearl, a jewel, a camellia | Is my pearl, is my camellia, |
| 玉柳 | tamayanagi | a jewel, a willow | Is my willow pearl. |
| それもがと | sore mo ga to | and in addition to that | And just like them, cold, |
| さむ 汝もがと | samu mashi mo ga to | you too are cold | Cold like them are you, my love, |
| 汝もがと | mashi mo ga to | you too are | Just as cold are you. |
| 練緒染緒の | nerio samio no | polished threads, dyed threads | Robed in garments glossed and dyed |
| 御衣かけにせむ | mizokake ni semu | in imperial garments | And newly made for the court |
| 玉柳 | tamayanagi | a jewel, a willow | Is my willow pearl. |
| 何しかも | nani shikamo | and moreover | This notwithstanding, |
| さ 何しかも | sa nani shikamo | oh, and moreover | Oh, and notwithstanding this, |
| 何しかも | nani shikamo | and moreover | Notwithstanding this, |
| 心もまたいけむ | kokoro mo mataikemu | my heart is also completely in smoke | Here my heart is blazing with passion, |
| 百合花の | yuribana no | lily flower | My lily, my love, |
| さ 百合花の | sa yuribana no | oh, lily flower | My love, my lily love. |
| 今朝咲いたる | kesa saitaru | this morning blossoming | Like the spring's first flower |
| 初花に | hatsubana ni | the first flower of the year | Blossoming at dawn, |
| 逢はましものを | awamashi mono o | meeting people | Our lives are brief, ending soon, |
| さ 百合花の | sa yuribana no | oh, lily flower | Lily, my lily love. |
| Anonymous | Markham, Elizabeth. Saibara: Japanese Court Songs of the Heian Period. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1983. Print. | Carol Anne Perry Lagemann | Carol Anne Perry Lagemann |
High are the sands, high,