出代の市にさらすや五十顔
degawari no ichi ni sarasu ya gojû kao

The fifty year-old face of a
a laid-off servant at market
there for all to see.

In springtime, old servants were replaced by young ones. The old ones would leave their employers to return to their home villages; the young ones traveled in the opposite direction. In earlier times this took place during February; later, in March.

Labels: japanese culture, literature, serpent notes, serpent of time