Monthly Poem and Pictograph - July 2001 -


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This is an EL( Earth Language ) experimental page with  English and Japanese.

  May I show you my haiku/tanka for this month? Debi, the author of last month's haiku asked me if I could make my own, a Japanese friend as well. Then I tried while staying in WA state in June. Instead of taking photos or drawing pictures, I tried to sketch what I saw by little words or EL ideographs. Actually it was fun to do even for a beginner, although I wonder if you could call them 'poems'. I just want to share this peaceful play to enjoy more each life.

  I felt some secret for this play: When trying hard to create haiku, it doesn't come up. When leaving my heart in nature, an image stood up naturally. Perhaps you may find interesting yourself while continuing this custom. If you don't know what haiku/tanka/renku, please refer to Debi's site: Paper Lanterns .

  In WA my husband and I hiked around Mt. Rainier, and worked a lot for a little cabin in a forest. You might feel strange about these haiku for this season, but the mountain is 1441 feet high, and looks like still in early spring covered by snow usually even in July.

  Two came up originally by EL pictographs, so I'll introduce them with English and Japanese translations. Below them, I add more haiku/tanka in English and Japanese to introduce you my experiences in WA. Sometimes lengths/meanings between English and Japanese are a little different to make them sound better. Translation of this kind is also a good exercise. I'm sorry that most of you can't recognize the Japanese part. Hope you'll enjoy them.

 先月の俳句のデビや旧い友達から私自身も作れとけしかけられ、今月は調子にのって自作をお目にかけることにしました。一週間前までワシントン州のキャビンで力仕事をしたり、レニア山の裾を歩きながら、そのようすをことばでスケッチしました。

 レニア山は4300m以上もあり、通常7月でさえ雪を被って中腹でも雪解けの早春です。だから日本の季語には合わない場合もあり、字数合せもなかなかうまくできませんが、ご一緒にWAの体験をお楽しみいただければ幸いです。地球語の文字絵として発想した2点以外は、日英語のみの付録です。

 最近「連句」から発展した「レンク」というアートが国際的にはやりだしたようです。ことばの句をリンクするだけでなく、絵・写真・ダンス・音楽など思い思いの手段を他とリンクさせて楽しむようです。「リンク」と似た響きなので容易に取り入れられたのでしょうね。地球語の場合には文字絵のほかに手話ダンスも意味をもってリンクできます。みなさんもお得意の手段でお試しになってはいかがでしょう?

Around Mt. Rainier
: question, wondering(疑問)
: { ( zigzag shape ), ( plant )}: fern(羊歯)
in English(E):
?????
young ferns are wondering together
in a circle
in Japanese(J):
輪になって???(はてな)会議の羊歯若葉


: { , }: tree(木)  : {, ( way 通り道)}: trunk(幹)
: 2000  : { ( time ),( between )}( term ),( around ) }: for year(s)(年間)
: {  , }: my(私)
: {  ( shape of ear ), ( sense ) }: ear(s)(耳)
E:
ear touches
to the cover of an enormous disk with built in a Red Cedar
to listen to his two thousand years
J:
杉の幹 2千年のメモリーディスクに耳澄ます

--------------
to open her white thick eyelid,
the mountain strains
with her all might
白い瞼開かんと山満身

a sparkling bathing party
of trees and moss
on a silent rock gnome
水浴びはしゃぐ樹々の下 磐鬼無言

a hemlock tree
gripping on a giant rock
 moss is soft to support him
岩掴む樹を支えんと苔のやわらか

"open hands"
who did command to all those maple trees
「全開!」と 誰が命じたかカエデの手

water sounds all around
the gravity enjoys to play it
水音に囲まれる 引力が奏でてる

fawns,
don't jump out to high way
Issa* would be in a cold sweat
( *a famous haiku poet; this links to his haiku: Sparrow chicks/ get away, get away/ a horse is coming )
飛び出すな!車道に小鹿一茶がひやり

In the Forest with the cabin

the forest
where butterflies and eagles live
joining it from today
I hang out white sheets
今日からは我も一員 蝶舞い鷲棲む森に白い布干す

Towhee, Squirrel and Bug
sing and call in each way
Renku by the forest
トーイ鳴きリス・地虫鳴く 森連句
(トーイ( towhee ):尾の長めの小鳥)

towhee,
wish to have a tail to swing together
under the play of sunlight through the tree
尾があれば ともに振りたい木漏れ日トーイ


Eagle, Bald Eagle!!
the senior watcher also waves his wings
鷲だ鷲!仰ぐ翁も羽ばたいており

a crimson cloud
the branch is still
with a bald eagle
あかね雲 白頭鷲が黙る枝

who did walk on this brick lane?
the ear
of my hoe found it in the ground
幾星霜誰が通いしかレンガ路 地中にみつけし鍬の耳

stains on the wall
smiley eyes of the former master
who became an angel recently
壁のしみ 逝った主がほほえむ眼

don't cut!
thousands of buttercup look my hoe
with those brass bright eyes
刈らないで!数千の真鍮の目のキンポウゲ

I set aside the hoe
Rainier shines in pink
at ten p.m.
鍬を置く レニア薄紅午後十時

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