 |
| kobus magnolia |
Miyazawa Kenji was a fine educator who lived after his ideal life in the northeast and wrote poems. Amenimomakezu is the title of the poem below. The literal translation of it is “Not to be defeated by also rain.” Ame (rain) nimo (also) makezu (not defeated). This poem is one of the most popular modern Japanese poems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Miyazawa
“never let rain bother” by Miyazawa Kenji
translated by keiko amano
never let rain bother
never let winds bother
never let snow or the heat of summer bother her
built with a strong body
with no greed
never hold grudges
always smiles in a quiet way
eats two bowls of brown rice a day with a bit of miso paste and some vegetables
acts on various matters without considering herself
looks, listens, and understands well
plus not forgetting
under the shade of a pine tree out in a field
she lives in a tiny thatched-roof hut
in the east, if a child fell ill, she goes out there to care for the child
in the west, if a mother grew exhausted, she goes and carries the mother’s load instead
in the south, if a man dropped near death, she goes and tells him, “Don’t be afraid”
in the north, if someone started a fight or tried to file a lawsuit, she says,
“That’s stink. Stop it”
on a drought summer, she let her tear well up
on a cold summer, she plods about
everyone calls her Blockhead
no compliment
no complaint
that’s the kind of person
I want to be
2 comments:
Keiko
A beautiful poem with a beautiful picture.
Keiko this is something I have been meaning to ask many a times. Have you thought of changing the background colors of your blog to softer colors ever? or even changing the design for a make over. Blogger has many new options in the design section.
Ashok,
Thank you.
Is the color too strong? Well,
I hate to touch the design. The last time I did, I suffered and regretted it. I want to go back the way it was, but I didn't back it up. Maybe in July, I might think about changing it.
Post a Comment