Little brown sparrow,
to the willow’s topmost branch
your last song still clings.
Rush
Little brown sparrow,
the song rushing from your beak
startles a cricket.
Other
Little brown sparrow,
do you know no other song,
save the one you sing?
Amusement
Little brown sparrow,
the song that spills from your beak
amuses the crow.
Rain
Little brown sparrow,
how will you find your way home
through the driving rain?
Grouch
Little brown sparrow,
my grouchy next-door neighbor
thinks you sing too much.
Brushed
Little brown sparrow,
three lines brushed on rice paper
tell your history.
