Friday, 27 March 2009






and I found myself on that day in the fragrance of spring
when he embraced me in my long-sleeved kimono
showing yellow daffodils along a running stream.
He gently praised my twenty-year-old petals.


from the poem A Kimono, by Toshio Nakae
trans. William I. Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura
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12 comments:

  1. Peter27 March 2009 at 23:25

    You kow.. Roxana.. you are sometimes very much straight forward and provokative which I like.. :p

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  2. Roxana28 March 2009 at 10:42

    Peter, hi :-)

    where am I being provocative here? hmm. perhaps in framing only the sandals and not the face, and thus enhancing the mystery? (or so I imagine, I don't know if I managed to convey that feeling).
    but it couldn't be otherwise when it comes to japanese tradition, in which allusiveness and mystery are so important.for example, the bare nape of the neck (that the kimono reveals) has been considered to be the most erotic part of the female body.

    like here:
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Geisha-kyoto-2004-11-21.jpg/200px-Geisha-kyoto-2004-11-21.jpg


    so I don't see straightforwardness here :-) on the contrary.

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  3. Mary-Laure28 March 2009 at 22:33

    BEAUTIFUL. Like you, I adore Japanese literature, especially Kawabata, one of my favorite writers.
    I also adore Tanizaki's Makioka Sisters.
    Japanese poetry is just so beautiful...

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  4. Roxana28 March 2009 at 23:20

    thank you, Mary-Laure :-) yes, Kawabata is fabulous, Mishima unsurpassable. and my favourite of all is Murasaki Shikibu with her Tale of Genji. of course of course. and the poetry!!! but don't get me started :-)

    and forgot to mention another favourite of mine, 'Honkakubo Ibun' by Yasushi Inoue.

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  5. pensum29 March 2009 at 00:07

    ah, The Makioka Sisters, such a great novel and it was also translated into a stunning film by Kon Ichikawa. if you haven't seen it i highly recommend it.

    i'll refrain from running on about all the great Japanese literature as you've already mentioned five of the heavyweights...

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  6. Roxana29 March 2009 at 00:17

    unfortunately I haven't seen it. and I know that 'Honkakubo Ibun' was also made into a movie that I haven't seen either. but I couldn't find it, and I expect it will be very difficult to find the one you mention too.

    I find Tanizaki to be the closest to the european spirit, especially for his psychologizing tendency, even if it is said that Soseki is very akin to Dickens. but I didn't see that myself. his realism is very different than ours. anyway... we could go on for hours... which might be not such a bad idea. but with tea, that is imperative :-)

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  7. Anonymous29 March 2009 at 04:00

    you are too innovative...

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  8. A l a i n 30 March 2009 at 01:54

    Tu as shooté dans la culture japonaise, cela ce ressent tu aime ce pays si vieux en tradition ; j’adore les chaussettes dans les Zori Types de chaussures traditionnelles ; pour cette littérateur japonaise ; je connais Hara Tamiki , il à écrit des poèmes, des nouvelles , mais surtout sur Hiroshima ; j’ai aimé Fleurs d'été, aussi très beaux texte Ruines (En chemise, je me trempai dans l'eau, puis repris mon souffle dans une grande inspiration. Quand je tournai la tête, je vis la chaîne des montagnes de basse altitude qui absorbait doucement les teintes du crépuscule et au loin, un sommet touché par les rayons du soleil brillait d'un éclat éblouissant. Ce paysage était irréel. On n'avait plus à craindre de raids aériens et maintenant, le silence se propageait enfin dans la voûte céleste qui retrouvait la paix ). La paix semble reprendre ses droits... mais l'horreur est toujours là. Roxana , merci pour cette photo j’ai adoré.

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  9. Anonymous30 March 2009 at 02:24

    j'adore tout simplement!!!!!

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  10. Roxana30 March 2009 at 11:05

    thank you for stopping by, holidaytourofindia - just writing your name and makes me dream of india...

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  11. Roxana30 March 2009 at 11:14

    Allan, j'aime aussi les zori et les chaussettes qui vont avec, d'ailleurs j'aime beaucoup le kimono - ici tu peux trouver des postes fascinantes sur le sujet du kimono:
    http://lotusgreenfotos.blogspot.com/search/label/kimono

    d'ailleurs tout le blog de 'japonisme' est un tresor inimaginable.

    je ne connais pas Hara Tamiki, mais le passage que tu as cite me plait beaucoup. merci de m'en parler, j'ai deja trouve son dernier poeme (son epitaphe) qui est si troublant:
    Engraved in stone long ago,
    Lost in the shifting sand,
    In the midst of a crumbling world,
    The vision of one flower.

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  12. Roxana30 March 2009 at 11:14

    merci, omami, quel plaisir d'entendre ca!
    :-)

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