マイブログ リスト

2010年4月27日火曜日

Haiku about Spring (10)


I went to Miharu-machi, a town located in Tamura District, Fukushima, Japan, where I enjoyed the cherry blossoms.

Miharu(三春) is home of one of the national treasure cherry trees.

Takizakura(滝桜), or waterfall cherry tree, is over 1000 years old.



Cherry blossoms

falling from the air

heavenly


滝桜空より降りぬ天花かな


Takizakura sora yori furi nu tenka kana



Blossom-viewing

absorbed in beauties

paradise


楽園や美に魅せられて花と化す


Rakuen ya bi ni miserare te hana to kasu



― Hidenori Hiruta




2010年4月20日火曜日

Haiku about Spring (9)


This afternoon I saw skunk cabbages come out in the marshes.

The plants are called ' 水芭蕉(Mizubashou) ' or, 'Basho in the waters', because they look like the leaves of a basho tree, a variety of banana tree that bears no fruit.
Matsuo Basho(松尾芭蕉)is said to have been named after this basho tree, because he planted it in his garden and loved the basho tree.
According to the PREFACE in The Narrow Road to Oku by Donald Keene, the name Basho was derived from a tree in his garden: in 1681, when he moved to a bleak area of the city of Edo, he planted a basho tree in order to improve the appearence of the garden. The basho, a variety of banana tree that bears no fruit, had a special meaning for poets: its broad green leaves are easily torn by the wind, a ready symbol for the sensitivity of the poet. Visitors began to refer to the place as the Basho-an (Cottage of the Basho Tree), and before long Basho was using the name for himself.
Skunk cabbages are also used to denote another plant ' 座禅草(Zazensou) ', which is similar to
' 水芭蕉' in the form or shape, but different in the color and the place where they grow.
' 水芭蕉' has green leaves and white covers for its flowers, grows in the marshes, and blooms early in summer, so it is used as the season word of summer.
' 座禅草' has purple leaves and dark purple covers for its flowers, grows in the hills or in the mountains, and blooms in spring, but it isn't used as the season word. Maybe this is because it can't be found nearby.
The similarity is that both of them look as if they sat practising zazen.


Skunk cabbages

returned to life

spring light


春光や座禅草野に生き返る


Shunkou ya zazensou no ni ikikaeru



Skunk cabbages

meditating

first zazen


水芭蕉ただ黙想す初座禅


Mizubashou tada mokusousu hatsu zazen



― Hidenori Hiruta





2010年4月13日火曜日

Haiku about Spring (8)


The other day I went around the gate of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. And I found the cherry blossoms in bloom there.



Cherry blossoms

brighten the moat

Castle Gate


桜花輝く堀に城の門


Sakura bana kagayaku hori ni shiro no mon



Castle moat

in fascination

cherry blossoms


城の堀魅せられたりや桜花


Shiro no hori miserare tari ya sakura bana



― Hidenori Hiruta







2010年4月6日火曜日

Haiku about Spring (7)


The other day I happened to go to the foot of Mt. Taihei (太平山)in Akita City.


Spring mountain

taking a deep breath

in the sun


日を浴びて呼吸や深し春の山


Hi o abite kokyuu ya fukasi haru no yama



The setting sun

shading spring mountain

into dusk


夕日影春の山染め黄昏へ


Yuuhi kage haru no yama some tasogare e



― Hidenori Hiruta