Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (8)

 

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