■Transliteration

Iyeah-Mow, in the world,
there is nothing so boring
as being single. Oyah?
it's cow o'clock (the nineth),
birds are singing.
It must be a cock after the hour of a hen
telling the time of cock. While
I have no hen to live with, I'm wondering
whether I'll be telling time
as a cock. Neh, It's better to get something
to eat than to tell time.▲
Then, gonna go out
with a lone crow.

▲△○→Symbols which indicate the connection of paragraphs

■From Big Edo Prints■
about single life in Edo

Edo was a completely men society where the samurais and merchants sent from various local han (domain) gathered, so there were so many singles. The second or third son of a samurai family took opportunities to be son-in-law in another family without any hesitation. It was a tough life to be as a supporting person for life long of the family successor, the first son.