(Original)
Just before dawn,
When the streets are deserted,
A light spring rain.
(Japanese version)
夜明け少し前
街には人気がない
さっと春の雨
（放哉）
朝早い道のいぬころ
(English version)
A puppy
On the road
In the early morning.
■The work of Wright is attractive. It is fresh and queit: the moment just before dawn, it is empty and quiet: the streets are deserted, and it has lively rhythm: a light spring rain. "A light spring rain", I think, has the feeling that a shower passes by.
Hosai created haiku about spring rain, but it is ordinary. So I tried to select one of free-rhythm haiku. This has the feeling that a puppy is coming along the country road in the eary morning, smelling the ground. I think it has a close atmosphere btween a pupyy and people, without expressing them.
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Monday, 22 October 2007
Haiku of RICHARD WRIGHT(40)
(Original)
In gray winter light,
Dead flies fill the window sill
Of a musty room.
(Japanese version)
灰色の冬の光
死んだ蝿が黴臭い部屋の
窓敷居にたくさん
（放哉）
すぐ死ぬくせにうるさい蠅だ
(English version)
You are
An annoying fly,
Though dying soon.
■Wright expresses the scene of dead flies objectively. His work is almost subjected to dead silence, though traces of men remains more or less in the scene. The sight might be grotesque that dead flies fill the window sill. If the phrase " dead flies" was " a dead fly", the work could have politeness and loneliness. In the case of Hosai, he sees the death in a live fly. In this context, I consider Hosai's fly as one fly, not flies. That's why it is annoying. In other words, an annoying fly enhances the silence Hosai is forced to have, and then is gradually overlapping himself. Hosai doesn't talk to it, but himself: This work of Hosai is a monologue. I could see eternity and illimitable space behind it.
In gray winter light,
Dead flies fill the window sill
Of a musty room.
(Japanese version)
灰色の冬の光
死んだ蝿が黴臭い部屋の
窓敷居にたくさん
（放哉）
すぐ死ぬくせにうるさい蠅だ
(English version)
You are
An annoying fly,
Though dying soon.
■Wright expresses the scene of dead flies objectively. His work is almost subjected to dead silence, though traces of men remains more or less in the scene. The sight might be grotesque that dead flies fill the window sill. If the phrase " dead flies" was " a dead fly", the work could have politeness and loneliness. In the case of Hosai, he sees the death in a live fly. In this context, I consider Hosai's fly as one fly, not flies. That's why it is annoying. In other words, an annoying fly enhances the silence Hosai is forced to have, and then is gradually overlapping himself. Hosai doesn't talk to it, but himself: This work of Hosai is a monologue. I could see eternity and illimitable space behind it.
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Laughing Okinawa(1)
Okinawa is a mirror that reflects clearly modern Japan and the Modern Ages. When we try to understand the now and past of Okinawa, it shows some critical problems that every modern society has.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Haiku of RICHARD WRIGHT(39)
(Original)
A soft wind at dawn
Lifts one dry leaf and lay it
Upon another.
(Japanese version)
夜明けに優しい一陣の風
枯葉を一枚舞い上げて
枯葉の上に
(放哉）
落葉ふんで来る音が犬であった
(Hosai)
The sounds of
Coming walking across
Fallen leaves―a dog
■The work of Wright has a rhythmic character that consists of "L" sounds for the third time in a row. That of Hosai expresses sounds themselves. What is humorous here is that it was a dog rather than a man that came walking across fallen leaves.
A soft wind at dawn
Lifts one dry leaf and lay it
Upon another.
(Japanese version)
夜明けに優しい一陣の風
枯葉を一枚舞い上げて
枯葉の上に
(放哉）
落葉ふんで来る音が犬であった
(Hosai)
The sounds of
Coming walking across
Fallen leaves―a dog
■The work of Wright has a rhythmic character that consists of "L" sounds for the third time in a row. That of Hosai expresses sounds themselves. What is humorous here is that it was a dog rather than a man that came walking across fallen leaves.
Friday, 5 October 2007
Haiku of RICHARD WRIGHT(38)
(Original)
That abandoned house,
With its yard of fallen leaves,
In the setting sun.
(Japanese version)
あの廃屋の
庭に落葉
落日
（放哉）
とかげの美しい色がある廃庭
(Hosai)
The abandoned yard,
With the beautiful color
Of a lizard.
Hosai OZAKI(1885-1926) is a popular Japanese haiku poet who is one of the trailblazers for free-rhythm haikus.
■The work of Wright has a traditional sense of beauty that can go back to that of Poe, Baudelaire, Trakl and so on. It evokes a kind of nostalgia, because it expresses what is going to the ground. From the perspective of a haiku, however, this work is too pathetic and perfect. In other words, the key phrases of " abandoned house", " fallen leaves", and " the setting sun" are so close each other in their common images that the readers can not feel surprised. In the case of the work of Hosai, it catches us off balance. He found out the beauty of a lizard in the abandoned yard. Perhaps the body of it reflected the sun light brilliantly. The haiku of Hosai has its own sense of beauty and is interesting in its texture.
That abandoned house,
With its yard of fallen leaves,
In the setting sun.
(Japanese version)
あの廃屋の
庭に落葉
落日
（放哉）
とかげの美しい色がある廃庭
(Hosai)
The abandoned yard,
With the beautiful color
Of a lizard.
Hosai OZAKI(1885-1926) is a popular Japanese haiku poet who is one of the trailblazers for free-rhythm haikus.
■The work of Wright has a traditional sense of beauty that can go back to that of Poe, Baudelaire, Trakl and so on. It evokes a kind of nostalgia, because it expresses what is going to the ground. From the perspective of a haiku, however, this work is too pathetic and perfect. In other words, the key phrases of " abandoned house", " fallen leaves", and " the setting sun" are so close each other in their common images that the readers can not feel surprised. In the case of the work of Hosai, it catches us off balance. He found out the beauty of a lizard in the abandoned yard. Perhaps the body of it reflected the sun light brilliantly. The haiku of Hosai has its own sense of beauty and is interesting in its texture.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Dialogue with Valery Afanassiev
I conducted an interview with Valery Afanassiev after his Tokyo lecture in October 2005. Valery Afanassiev is a famous pianist, conductor, performer, novelist, and poet, who was born in Moscow, former USSR in 1947 and exiled himself to Begium in 1972. Since then, he has performed mainly in Paris.
(Winter moon)First question concerns today’s theme. I think generally speaking music is dialectic between the metaphysical and the physical, because works always have composers, and composers are determined by his society, his age, and his personality, including his thought, emotions and feelings. On the other hand everybody doesn’t become Beethoven. He became Beethoven by intervening of contingent necessity, namely God. Let me introduce an interesting example about the metaphysical. Japanese oldest anthology, MANYOUHSHU edited in 8th century, includes many nameless poets. These poems are called “ the poems composed by nobody”. It had been thought that the poems of MANYOHSHU were created by gods. The names of its composers were not regarded as important at that time. I think this is also one of metaphysical aspects. In other words there is some relationship between the nameless of composers and the metaphysical. What would you think of this matter?
(Valery Afanassiev)I think it is possible that God composes works, not in terms of rhethoric. Bruckner was dictating his works and he always said," An angel makes me compose them".
(WM)Second question is related with so-called 9.11. 9.11 has influenced many artists, particularly film directors such as Vim Venders, poets, novelists, painters, and musicians. Those artists can express it as a theme or motive of their works directly. However playing music is difficult to articulate it immediately. I think playing music is criticism and interpretation of works. And I think your playing style has actuality because you understand that works represent some aspects of the real world and your approach to them reveals the structure of it. So I think playing music could express how our world is after 9.11 by selecting works and exposing their meanings. What would you think of this matter?
(V.A)I''m influenced by watching the events of 9.11 on T.V. many times. The impact on my mind might increase gradually, but what I express in a concert hall is insistently "My Story". The playing style of conductors in Baroque Age were not at all influenced by the external factors such as their mother's death. Because the tune has its own logic.
(W.M)The last question is about your poems. I have been so attracted by your poems, and just tried to translate into Japanese. I feel your poems are similar to your playing style, because both of them intend to approach the hidden structure of the world. Actually I compose poems too. So I’m interested in the moment at which a poem was born. Would you explain when your Muse comes from? And I have tried to translate your poems on the jacket of Beethoven CD. I am looking for your other poems to read. Could you tell me the title and the publisher of your poetry book in English?
(V.A)I don't write poems now. My Muse is burdensome and lose my health. I'm tired and have sleepless nights in creating poems. Instead of it, I annotate on The DIvine Comedy and write a new novel called "Flying Dutchman".
(Winter moon)First question concerns today’s theme. I think generally speaking music is dialectic between the metaphysical and the physical, because works always have composers, and composers are determined by his society, his age, and his personality, including his thought, emotions and feelings. On the other hand everybody doesn’t become Beethoven. He became Beethoven by intervening of contingent necessity, namely God. Let me introduce an interesting example about the metaphysical. Japanese oldest anthology, MANYOUHSHU edited in 8th century, includes many nameless poets. These poems are called “ the poems composed by nobody”. It had been thought that the poems of MANYOHSHU were created by gods. The names of its composers were not regarded as important at that time. I think this is also one of metaphysical aspects. In other words there is some relationship between the nameless of composers and the metaphysical. What would you think of this matter?
(Valery Afanassiev)I think it is possible that God composes works, not in terms of rhethoric. Bruckner was dictating his works and he always said," An angel makes me compose them".
(WM)Second question is related with so-called 9.11. 9.11 has influenced many artists, particularly film directors such as Vim Venders, poets, novelists, painters, and musicians. Those artists can express it as a theme or motive of their works directly. However playing music is difficult to articulate it immediately. I think playing music is criticism and interpretation of works. And I think your playing style has actuality because you understand that works represent some aspects of the real world and your approach to them reveals the structure of it. So I think playing music could express how our world is after 9.11 by selecting works and exposing their meanings. What would you think of this matter?
(V.A)I''m influenced by watching the events of 9.11 on T.V. many times. The impact on my mind might increase gradually, but what I express in a concert hall is insistently "My Story". The playing style of conductors in Baroque Age were not at all influenced by the external factors such as their mother's death. Because the tune has its own logic.
(W.M)The last question is about your poems. I have been so attracted by your poems, and just tried to translate into Japanese. I feel your poems are similar to your playing style, because both of them intend to approach the hidden structure of the world. Actually I compose poems too. So I’m interested in the moment at which a poem was born. Would you explain when your Muse comes from? And I have tried to translate your poems on the jacket of Beethoven CD. I am looking for your other poems to read. Could you tell me the title and the publisher of your poetry book in English?
(V.A)I don't write poems now. My Muse is burdensome and lose my health. I'm tired and have sleepless nights in creating poems. Instead of it, I annotate on The DIvine Comedy and write a new novel called "Flying Dutchman".
Poem of Shimizu Akira
Leaving in early winter
Shimizu Akira
You
Leave, glowing for snow.
In perfect silence
From the heart of a cooling city, the dark silva
You leave, taking a breath.
In whatever splendid sexual love,
In whatever miserable night,
Wearing a burning coat,
Glowing for snow that falls heavily into lonely instinct,
You leave, raising your shining face.
However recall
That we are sometimes dogs with cruel eyes,
Dragging the chain of our inferior family tree,
And are life as if rats that build nests quietly in Asian frontier.
From such a place
We leave intently.
Sucking the sunset glow that quakes through snow silva,
We decide to leave for the depths of our body
For the first time and the last time.
(translated by Winter moon)
Shimizu Akira
You
Leave, glowing for snow.
In perfect silence
From the heart of a cooling city, the dark silva
You leave, taking a breath.
In whatever splendid sexual love,
In whatever miserable night,
Wearing a burning coat,
Glowing for snow that falls heavily into lonely instinct,
You leave, raising your shining face.
However recall
That we are sometimes dogs with cruel eyes,
Dragging the chain of our inferior family tree,
And are life as if rats that build nests quietly in Asian frontier.
From such a place
We leave intently.
Sucking the sunset glow that quakes through snow silva,
We decide to leave for the depths of our body
For the first time and the last time.
(translated by Winter moon)
Poem of Narumi Eikichi
SNOW 4
Narumi Eikichi
“I have no message to leave”, he said.
“No message? Really? ”, I asked and “No”, he replied.
“Well, let you have a death”. “OK”.
When he answered, I drew up his blanket to his head.
He seemed to die comfortably,
Without screaming and crying.
I doubt whether you would be pleased to die such a way.
I shivered alone,
And urinated noisily at the entrance of the camp.
It snows again outside it.
Hey! Don’t say such a silly thing as snow falls from the sky.
It blows up to the dark sky strongly.
Don’t say that, as nobody believes it.
(translated by Winter monn)
Narumi Eikichi
“I have no message to leave”, he said.
“No message? Really? ”, I asked and “No”, he replied.
“Well, let you have a death”. “OK”.
When he answered, I drew up his blanket to his head.
He seemed to die comfortably,
Without screaming and crying.
I doubt whether you would be pleased to die such a way.
I shivered alone,
And urinated noisily at the entrance of the camp.
It snows again outside it.
Hey! Don’t say such a silly thing as snow falls from the sky.
It blows up to the dark sky strongly.
Don’t say that, as nobody believes it.
(translated by Winter monn)
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