This poem about #cicadas is from a sequence of #waka written by #MinamotoNoAkinaka (1064-1135)
Yamakawa no
Iwa kosu nami ni
Uchisoete
Tani hibiku nari
Semi no morogoe
mountain yama river kawa of no
reef iwa as jagged peaks of rocks sticking up thru waves nami in a rapid kosu straining or crossing over ni - locative
uchi intensifier prefix "VERY" little / great soete sou following accompanying running along
tani valley hibiku echo sound nari verb to be archaic
semi - cicada no - of morogoe compound noun moro together goe voice voices sounds in unison
My notes I hope show why learning even just a little bungo deepens one's appreciation of waka.
Translated directly one loses most of the assonance ?
I will try though to give you something not too prosaic !
in a mountain valley
waves break over rapids
following so closely
the valley fills with echos of both
the chorus of cicadas
A Gwailo's View of Han Zi ! A Blog featuring my experiments with Han Zi and digital typographic art and articles on Chinese derived characters. Also some articles on Chinese characters in general and their use of multiple Asian languages.
Showing posts with label bungo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bungo. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Saturday, 8 August 2015
The Memory of a Summer Storm
#japanese poetry #waka
This poem is about 1500 years old and was composed in the Asuka period by Empress Jito. Its 2 in the #hyakuninisshu anthology and 1.28 in the #manyoshu
Haru sugite / Natsu ki ni kerashi / shirotae no /
koromo hosu tefu / ama no kaguyama
Spring has passed
Summer Surprise!
"White sleeves"
robes spread to dry they say
on Amakaguyama.
Now this was probably written when the Imperial Place was south of this mountain which has a shinto shrine and isn't actually very high (google a photo!)
though one commentator claims it was written at the fujiwara palace north of mountain.
A point I have seen NO English language commentators make is that the use of kerashi a fusion of keri and rashi indicates that something most UNseasonal has occurred. A lot of articles and essays and notes draw attention to the use of shirotae which could be translated as white sleeves or white garment and often refers to other white things like snow or frost or fog anything white that covers something else.
These white sleeves are not those of modern kimonos but something more like the big sleeves you see in NO or Kabuki drama that Shinto priests wear so I do mean BIG sleeves!
A lot of scholars presume this is a reference to a legend about white robed heavenly dancers blah blah blah which leads to translators inserting references to angels that do not exist in the original text!
Tefu according to my Bungo Manual means or equals to iu they say and it is said and you may see it written as choo if you have a copy that changes the archaic Japanese into modern Japanese.
OH and the Yamato area while being surrounded by mountains ... well heavier snow usually occurs elsewhere and remember the reference to summer?
and yes I did take liberties with that line to emphasize kerashi !
This poem is about 1500 years old and was composed in the Asuka period by Empress Jito. Its 2 in the #hyakuninisshu anthology and 1.28 in the #manyoshu
Haru sugite / Natsu ki ni kerashi / shirotae no /
koromo hosu tefu / ama no kaguyama
Spring has passed
Summer Surprise!
"White sleeves"
robes spread to dry they say
on Amakaguyama.
Now this was probably written when the Imperial Place was south of this mountain which has a shinto shrine and isn't actually very high (google a photo!)
though one commentator claims it was written at the fujiwara palace north of mountain.
A point I have seen NO English language commentators make is that the use of kerashi a fusion of keri and rashi indicates that something most UNseasonal has occurred. A lot of articles and essays and notes draw attention to the use of shirotae which could be translated as white sleeves or white garment and often refers to other white things like snow or frost or fog anything white that covers something else.
These white sleeves are not those of modern kimonos but something more like the big sleeves you see in NO or Kabuki drama that Shinto priests wear so I do mean BIG sleeves!
A lot of scholars presume this is a reference to a legend about white robed heavenly dancers blah blah blah which leads to translators inserting references to angels that do not exist in the original text!
Tefu according to my Bungo Manual means or equals to iu they say and it is said and you may see it written as choo if you have a copy that changes the archaic Japanese into modern Japanese.
OH and the Yamato area while being surrounded by mountains ... well heavier snow usually occurs elsewhere and remember the reference to summer?
and yes I did take liberties with that line to emphasize kerashi !
This poem records a freak weather event!
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Translating Haiku the word break problem
Translating #Haiku
the word break problem
An example from #Chiyo
( this applies to other #japanesepoetry too! #tanka #waka )
So you have in front of you a copy of the #Japanese text in #kana or a mixture of kana and #kanji and maybe # romaji too ?
And you have a fair idea of what it means but you go to check the exact verb form being used to add to the notes for readers and you can't find the verb form of particle or whatever?
Is it your poor knowledge of Japanese or is it just possible some editor combined two words or split up a word when they should not have?
Plus Japanese word play giving something two meanings ...
Here's an example ... a well known haiku by #Chiyo (though I have come across one writer who claims the poem pre exists her ... however as its a well known poem)
I'm not disputing the usual translations just pointing out a couple of features
the haiku in romaji
shibu karo ka
shiranedo kaki no
hatsuchigiri
Now I've seen several texts giving the first line as shibu karo ka but what if its
shibukaro ka ? A Verb? Most texts don't bother to explain this is a volitional form ... she's saying it is possible that an experience will be bitter but she does not ... shiranedo know and the use of the shiranedo form heightens this uncertianity!
Though shiranedo possibly should be printed shirane + do ?
Do is described by McCullough in her Bungo Manual as a concessive conjunctive particle that could be translated as even though or but
So perhaps the romaji text should be shibukaro ka shirane do hatsuchigiri ?
Whatever your choice but bear in mind while reading this haiku that there's both doubt and irony being expressed
Next time on Technozi Kaki Persimmons the first of which are appearing in Sydney's fruit stores !
Whether karo and do should be printed with a word break or as part of the verb in romaji knowing even a little bungo helps ?
Do try to get a cop of McCulloughs book if you can!
Ten Thousand Blessings to the person who gifted this to me a few years back!
Support me via PayPal.me/JulieVaux
the word break problem
An example from #Chiyo
( this applies to other #japanesepoetry too! #tanka #waka )
So you have in front of you a copy of the #Japanese text in #kana or a mixture of kana and #kanji and maybe # romaji too ?
And you have a fair idea of what it means but you go to check the exact verb form being used to add to the notes for readers and you can't find the verb form of particle or whatever?
Is it your poor knowledge of Japanese or is it just possible some editor combined two words or split up a word when they should not have?
Plus Japanese word play giving something two meanings ...
Here's an example ... a well known haiku by #Chiyo (though I have come across one writer who claims the poem pre exists her ... however as its a well known poem)
I'm not disputing the usual translations just pointing out a couple of features
the haiku in romaji
shibu karo ka
shiranedo kaki no
hatsuchigiri
Now I've seen several texts giving the first line as shibu karo ka but what if its
shibukaro ka ? A Verb? Most texts don't bother to explain this is a volitional form ... she's saying it is possible that an experience will be bitter but she does not ... shiranedo know and the use of the shiranedo form heightens this uncertianity!
Though shiranedo possibly should be printed shirane + do ?
Do is described by McCullough in her Bungo Manual as a concessive conjunctive particle that could be translated as even though or but
So perhaps the romaji text should be shibukaro ka shirane do hatsuchigiri ?
Whatever your choice but bear in mind while reading this haiku that there's both doubt and irony being expressed
Next time on Technozi Kaki Persimmons the first of which are appearing in Sydney's fruit stores !
Whether karo and do should be printed with a word break or as part of the verb in romaji knowing even a little bungo helps ?
Do try to get a cop of McCulloughs book if you can!
Ten Thousand Blessings to the person who gifted this to me a few years back!
Support me via PayPal.me/JulieVaux
Or PATREON PLEDGE ME
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