3.11 Haiku from P K Padhy, India
2011/10/22
On September 25, 2011, I received an e-mail from Mr. P K Padhy, India.
Dear Mr. Hiruta,
With deep grief, I humbly dedicate the following haiku to the brave people of Japan — calmly struggling with the unprecedented natural calamity. May God render spiritual strength to all.You may post them at appropriate column.
P K Padhy, India
e-mail: pravatkumar_padhy@rediffmail.com
Here is a photo of P K Padhy.
Padhy says about himself as follows:
About Me
A Petroleum Geologist by profession. Believer of humanity and brotherhood; not so much religious or ritualistic. Believe in preserving the beauty and value rendered by Nature.
Now let me post his haiku with my Japanese translations.
HAIKU
earthquake–
misplaced syllables
shaken the haiku
地震―
置き間違えられた音節
俳句を揺るがせり
******
sun sets–
unlike the other day
in the east
日が沈む―
他の日と違って
東に
******
Japanese sky—
smoke hijacking
the bright star
日本の空―
煙がハイジャックしている
明星を
******
new sun–
plants from the rubbles
lazily warm up
新しい太陽―
瓦礫から生える植物
ものうげに暖まる
******
tsunami—
silent Buddha
in tears
津波―
無言の仏陀
涙せり
******
high tide
on top of the trees–
lost geography
高潮
木々の上に
失われた地勢
******
mother’s lap
the tender looks at
tearful moon
母のひざ
優しい表情で
涙でいっぱいの月を見る
******
streams of tear–
rise in tsunami
height
涙の流れ―
津波に生まれる
高く
******
Fukushima ruins–
echo resounds back
to sea
福島の廃墟―
こだまがはね返る
海へ
******
dilapidated—
shades of broken moon
on buried faces
荒廃―
壊れた月の陰
埋められた顔々に
******
tsunami sea—
full moon in
grief
津波の海―
満月がかかる
悲嘆の中に
******
The next posting ‘3.11 Haiku from Vasile Moldovan, Romania (1) ’ appears on October 29.
― Hidenori Hiruta (member of HIA)
On April 8, Buddha’s Birthday, there was a ceremony held for a newly-built image of Buddha in the graveyard of a Buddhist temple, Shouhei-ji (勝平寺), in Akita-city (秋田市), Northern Honshu, Japan.
The chief priest Shunsai Takayanagi (高柳俊哉住職）at the temple of the Sodo sect of Buddhism（曹洞宗）, held the ceremony for the purpose of putting Buddha’ heart and soul into the new image with the supporting members of the temple.
The new image of Buddha was built recently for those who died leaving nobody to look after his or her grave.
Priest Takayanagi also held the memorial service for those who passed away in the Great East Japan Earthquake and its tsunami on March 11.
Here is a photo of the service and two haiku by Hidenori Hiruta.
春の地震残る仏陀の祈りかな
spring earthquake
Buddha abides
in prayers
春の地震祈る仏陀の涙かな
spring earthquake
Buddha prays
in tears
Graziella Dupuy, a Facebook friend of mine, who is a French artist, contributed the following picture with French haiku.
広大な空に 仏陀の灰色の緑
― 新しい年の月の如
translated by Hidenori Hiruta
Alexander Dolin, a professor at Akita International University (AIU)(国際教養大学), teaching Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies, introduced the Akita International Network to his friend, Ilya Pushkin, who is a Russian Jew living in Jerusalem, Israel.
Ilya Pushkin kindly contributed his Japanese poems to us, one of which is posted below with English translations by Hidenori Hiruta.
イリヤー・プーシキン By Ilya Pushkin
夜のお客さん Visitors at night
毎晩ベッドで横になっていると Lying in bed every night,
過去からお客さんが次々と visitors one after another from the past
私のところにやって来る。 come to me.
私を離れた女性や Women who parted from me
私を去った友人や friends who left me
亡くなった親戚などが relatives who passed away
順番で私を待っている。 are waiting for me in turn.
彼らはそれぞれ They each
私たち共通の過去を our memories in common
私と一緒に思い出したり、 remember with me,
私たちの別れについて over our partings
私と一緒に泣いたり、 weep with me,
過去の喧嘩と議論を止めて suspend the past quarrel or argument
和解したり、 make peace with each other,
お互いに許したりする。 or forgive each other.
まだ生きている繋がりを the still existing connections
切るのは to cut them
とても苦痛なので、 is very painful,
私は I
誰も心から anybody from the bottom of my heart
引き抜くことが exclude
できないし、 cannot,
誰をも anybody
愛するのをやめることが stop loving
できないし、 cannot,
誰にも to anybody
「さようなら」を言うことが say ‘good-bye’
できないし、 cannot,
それに nor
「決して」という言葉の意味を the meaning of the word ‘Never’
理解することも understand
できない。 can.
夜明け前になると Before daybreak
大切なお客さんは important visitors
振りかえって私を見て、 look back at me,
そして and
次々と去って行く・・・ go off one after another…
Last of all, let me post my haiku and a photo of Aizuwakamatsu Castle (会津若松城, Aizuwakamatsu-jō), also known as Tsuruga Castle (鶴ヶ城Tsuruga-jō). They usually call the castle Wakamatsu Castle (若松城, Wakamatsu-jō) in Fukushima prefecture (福島県).
雷雨過ぐ若松城を洗ひけり 秀法
thunderstorm gone
washing
Wakamatsu Castle Hidenori
The next posting ‘Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (9) ‘ appears on June 25.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku by Hidenori Hiruta in Japan (2)
2010/07/17
First of all, I present you the following haiku I wrote when I visited 角館（かくのだて）(Kakunodate), Akita.
Hyakusui’s monument
stands in beauty
cherry blossoms
さくらばな百穂の碑を飾りけり
Sakurabana Hyakusui no hi o kazari keri
This is a monument inscribed with two tanka poems written by平福百穂（ひらふく ひゃくすい）(Hirafuku Hyakusui)(1877 – 1933), who was a Japanese-style painter as well as a tanka poet. He was born and brought up in 角館 (Kakunodate) , which is famous for the birthplace of 小田野直武 （おだの なおたけ）(Odano Naotake)(1750 – 1780), one of the greatest painters of Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) , also known as the Akita-ha (秋田派).
平福百穂 (Hirafuku Hyakusui) was greatly influenced by Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) and earnestly tried to introduce and spread its style, in which the Akita painters for the most part painted traditional Japanese themes and compositions using Western-style techniques and an approximation of oil paints.
The monument for Hyakusui’s tanka poems was erected in 角館 (Kakunodate) on September 9, 1944, with the two following tanka poems inscribed with.
うつろへる川の流れを見るにさへ
年ふりにけり国を出しより
Seeing the current of the river moved in different sites,
I realize what many years have passed since I left hometown.
ひと時に芽吹き立ち匂ふみちのくの
明るき春にあひにけるかも
How lucky I have felt to be in such a bright spring of the Tohoku district,
where trees have just begun to bud all at once, giving nice smells!
Secondly, I present some of my haiku I wrote when I visited 男鹿半島(Ogahantou), or
the Oga Peninsula in English.
Driving straight
down the coastline
sweetbriers
ドライブの海岸線の野バラかな
Sailing boat
through the islands
off bonds
島巡り絆を後に走りけり
Summer colours
call ogres
the Oga Peninsula
夏の色ナマハゲを呼ぶ男鹿半島
Diving
into cobalt blue water
the Oga Isles
男鹿島や群青の海に飛び込めり
Thirdly, I present some haiku about summer.
Humid night
staring the cool
summer moon
夏の月湿った夜の涼味かな
Summer’s dream
someone sits in shade
Buddha’s posture
夏の夢仏陀が影に座りけり
Buddha’s rise
from the pond
lotus flower
池中より出づる仏陀や蓮の花
Falling winds
Hiroshima no more
prayers ring
風よわりヒロシマの祈り聞こえけり
Lastly, I present the latest haiku from my own blog: http://akitahaiku.blogspot.com/.
Permanent snow
cools the air
summer solstice
夏至の空万年雪の涼気かな
The shade
bathes in the water
summer isle
夏の島影水中に浴しけり
The next posting ‘Haiku by Brian McSherry in Japan (2) appears on July 24.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Basho’s hydrangea
2009/07/18
紫陽花 (ajisai), hydrangea, is the deciduous shrub up to five feet high with ball-shaped clusters of bluish flowers in June and July. It has become a common ornamental throughout the world.
In Japan both 額紫陽花(gaku ajisai), H. macrophylla and 沢紫陽花(sawa ajisai), H. serrata in particular have been cultivated for so many centuries that they have become part of the culture.
References to 紫陽花 (ajisai) can be found in 万葉集 (the Manyoshu), an 8th century anthology of poetry, and 紅額紫陽花(beni gaku ajisai) is identifiable in an ikebana flower arranging document from 室町時代 (the Muromachi period) (1333-1568).
However, during this period under the rule of the Samurai 紫陽花 (ajisai) became unpopular, because its changeable flowers were looked upon as a symbol of moral infidelity, while あやめ.(ayame), ‘sweet flag’, or ‘calami’, was very popular because it was regarded as a symbol of the Samurai’s bravery because of its sharp sword-like leaves.
As a result, in the former part of 江戸時代 (the Edo period)(1600-1868), few haiku poets took up 紫陽花 (ajisai) in their haiku.
Matsuo Basho(1644-1694) wrote only two haiku in which 紫陽花 (ajisai) was taken up.
He wrote one of them at 深川(Fukagawa) in 1694:
紫陽花や藪を小庭の別座敷
ajisai ya yabu wo koniwa no betsu zashiki
Hydrangea!
in grove, being little garden,
the detached room
Basho was invited to a farewell linked verse party for him before he returned to his hometown of 伊賀上野(Iga Ueno) before he left for his last journey. His host and disciple 子珊(Shisan) held this party at the detached room of his house, where a thicket with hydrangea was used as a rustic garden for the hut.
Basho offered this verse above mentioned as 発句(hokku), an opening and greeting poem, for his host when asked about the style of 軽み(karumi), lightness.
The other haiku of Basho’s is this, but nobody knows when it was written.:
紫陽花や帷子時の薄浅黄
ajisai ya katabira doki no usu asagi
Hydrangea―
light blue
in hemp kimono
帷子(katabira) in this haiku is a hemp kimono for summer wear, whose color is pale blue like that of hydrangea.
In the latter part of 江戸時代 (the Edo period)(1600-1868), the popularity of hydrangea gradually revived, and they were planted in the gardens of the temples that use 甘茶 (ama cha) ,hydrangea tea, to celebrate the birthday of Buddha on April 8th.
During the ceremony a small statue of the Buddha is anointed with sweet-tasting甘茶(ama-cha) ,hydrangea tea, to celebrate the sweet rain that fell on the day that the Buddha was born.
Now 紫陽花 (ajisai) has become such a common ornamental in gardens or parks as well as in temple gardens or yards. In addition, in literary works of Japanese short poetry it has also come to be taken up as one of the most popular flowers in Japan.
In July, 2004, my haiku appeared in the Asahi Haikuist Network by David McMurray, who has been teaching me how to compose haiku through “Haiku in English” , “International Haiku Correspondence with David McMurray” by the Asahi Culture Center.
Hydrangea
bloom and Buddha
calm in the rain
David McMurray noted in his column as follows:
Green and the color blue, whose hue is that of the clear sky, shade most of the haiku submitted during this cloudy season of monsoon rains. Green is a pleasantly alluring color that poets use to symbolize growth. And even more artistically, some poets blend the blues of fireflies and hydrangea with the blues of melancholy. Fireflies evoke feelings of loneliness while the image of hydrangea in the rain is a symbol of sadness.
Another haiku of mine appeared in that column.
Misty rain
in a field of life
fireflies glow
― Hidenori Hiruta
