Monday, October 8, 2012

Autumn Leaves, Decoration In Takayama, Haiku

Leaf violins for tiny creatures:




Though, it was surprising to see in Japan so many autumn leaves scattered around in early spring. Somehow, they vanish elsewhere by the time the snow melts down. I took the photo below at the end of April in the garden of Sumadera, a temple in Kobe. An autumnal view.




Autumn leaf among sakura petals:




Matsuo Basho wrote many haiku with autumn kigo - seasonal word. Like this one, written few weeks before his death (Osaka, autumn of 1694):
秋深き 隣は何を する人ぞ
aki fukaki - tonari wa nani wo - suru hito zo
Aki 秋 means autumn, and the rhyming fukaki means deep.
Autumn grows deeper
I wonder what the neighbours
Are doing

It has received many interpretations. Though, I think it is a natural search for warm company on a cold autumn day.
In Japan, the neighbours are usually good friends as well, somebody to rely on and to talk a lot with.
The best neighbour ever is Ueda-san, always with a smile, a kind word or a treat. Ueda-san, thank you for everything. Also, thank you for the beautiful kimono. m(._.)m

Aki fukaki is a memorable line. It should have been aki fukashi, which cuts the harmony and warmth of the poem as a whole, though.

As the autumn grows colder, I wonder what you all are doing. Have a nice autumn season!

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