Impresie. Albastru inefabil…

2020:
iubirea este
serbet de padure cu
spuma de azur…

2021:
spuma de azur –
oglindeste capete
de indragostiti…

2022:
de indragostiti,
un Univers intreg se
indragosteste.

2023:
indragosteste
versurile inimii
de poezie

2024:
de poezie
se trezeste fiorul
infometat de…

2025:
infometat de
dragoste, lacul ce ia –
forma inimii…

2026:
forma inimii:
in suflet mereu verde,
oaza albstra…

the tales of ise

*******

forbidden colours: These refer to colours that only people of special rank, or those with permission to do so, could wear. Since the lady was a favourite of the emperor, she would have been allowed to wear deep red and purple.
[…]
It was customary to avoid mentioning the actual names of emperors and members of the high nobility. As a result, they were often referred to by the name of the place where they lived or had been buried.

the tales of ise

*******

In China, the chrysanthemum was associated with the realm of the immortals and therefore had the image of perpetual youth and longevity, associations that were carried over with the flower when it was brought to Japan in the Heian period.

*******

The ‘path of dreams’ (yumeji) traditionally leads to the home of one’s beloved.
In Heian romance, if a man is unable to reach a lady even in his dreams, it means that she is not thinking of him.

*******

The poem employs the frequently used expression koto no ha (leaves of words), translated here as ‘the things you said’.

2020:
regele midas
metamorfozandu-se:
aur de toamna…

2021:
aur de toamna
sufletul inserarii
pe frunze sufla…

2022:
pe frunze sufla
poleiala arzanda
de lumanare…

2023:
de lumanare,
ramuri aprinzandu-se:
botezul vremii…

2024:
botezul vremii:
cand speranta primeste
nume nepurtat…

2025:
nume nepurtat:
oare in japonia,
cum m-as fi chemat?!…

2026:
cum m-as fi chemat?
cu plecaciune, japo, –
“covor de aur”…

the tales of ise

*******

As the only two known active volcanoes at that time, Mount Fuji and Mount Asama were often employed in love poetry to express burning passion.

*******

its acrostic or hidden word (mono no na no uta) in which each line starts with a syllable (ka-ki-tsu-ba-ta) that spells out ‘iris’.

*******

There are many similar instances in both Chinese and Japanese literature of songs or poems being written upon departure on a wall, pillar or other such surface within a house.

2020:
portal catre vis –
plutesc pe nori de toamna,
ma ning cu zambet…

2021:
ma ning cu zambet –
culori autumnale
le gust pe buze…

2022:
le gust pe buze –
ofrande catre soare;
sorb nectar divin!…

2023:
sorb nectar divin:
cutie cu emotii
de frunze moarte…

2024:
de frunze moarte
se acopera cerul:
padure-n doliu.

2025:
padure-n doliu:
toamna isi poarta portul
de voal aramiu…

2026:
de voal aramiu,
se agata frunze, sau.
poate stele?!…

the tales of ise

*******

Long ago, the man became ill and sensed that his death was approaching.

I knew I’d have to walk on the path
we all must finally take,
but I had no idea
it would be tomorrow,
much less today.

2020:
creion de creta
desenand inaltimea
serenitatii…

2021:
serenitatii
ii deschid cale nori si
ziua de “ieri”…

2022:
ziua de “ieri” –
ca de pe-un varf de munte
sa-ti fie prisma.

2023:
sa-ti fie prisma –
dimensiunea visului
traind in tine…

2024:
traind in tine,
permite Iubirii sa –
te defineasca…

2025:
sa (te) defineasca
“in al noualea cer” si
“cu capul in nori”…

2026:
cu capul in nori,
si mereu zambind vietii.
dragutul fuji…

the tales of ise

*******

Unheard of, even in the age
of the raging gods—
the Tatsuta River
dyeing its own waters
autumnal reds.

*******

Which did you think
you would have to mourn first—
cherry blossoms or the one
whose life was even shorter
than the petals’?

2020:
sete de vis in
albstru inefabil.
ori realitate?…

2021:
ori realitate
devenita albastrul
inchipuirii?!…

2022:
inchipuirii –
libertatea zborului
neconditionat.

2023:
neconditionat,
avantul inaltator
se albastreste…

2024:
se albastreste
culoarea ochilor ce
ratacesc privind.

2025:
ratacesc privind
amintiri ce-mi revin din –
vieti viitoare…

2026:
vieti viitoare:
mi le pictez in nuante
japo-ferice…

2020:
fluturi in stomac –
amurgul frunzelor in
ceata de toamna…

2021:
ceata de toamna,
sau suflet regasit in
fotografie?…

2022:
fotografie:
vremelnicul nemiscat
intr-o secunda.

2023:
intr-o secunda,
sperantele gramada –
intr-o schimbare…

2024:
intr-o schimbare –
chiar mica, dar constanta,
sta Diferenta.

2025:
sta Diferenta
pe talere egale:
o perspectiva.

2026:
o perspectiva:
poeme in culori, pe
pagini de frunze…

the tales of ise

*******

Is it dew falling from heaven
that drenches my sleeves?
No matter how I tread,
I cannot reach you,
even on this path of dreams.

*******

The equerry’s poem:

If only there were
no cherry blossoms in this world,
what calm would reign
in the heart of spring.

Then someone else recited:

It is because
the blossoms scatter
that they are splendid.
In this world of sorrow,
what lasts for long?

the tales of ise

*******

And he cut off a piece from the hem of his hunting robe, dashed off a poem on it, and had it sent in to them.

*******

Could that be the same moon?
Could this be the spring of old?
Only I am as I have always been,
but without you here

*******

Has the autumn come?
There are so many drops
I confuse them with the dew,
but falling on my sleeves
are floods of joyful tears.

*******

Though the end of spring was approaching, he picked a branch of beautiful red maple leaves on his way and sent them back to the lady with a poem.

I send you this to show
that though it may still be spring,
the leaves have taken on
an autumn red
deep as my love for you.

She timed her answer to arrive after he had returned to the capital.

Your love has faded as quickly
as autumn colours change.
Where you live,
is there no such thing
as spring?

*******
nu.mai.pot. plutesc pe nori de poezie. camera mea e poezie. peretii sunt poezie. aerul de-l respir, e poezie. citind acest volum, totul pare imbuibat in poezie, si totul devine Poezie…

2020:
raze de luna
evadand in clipire –
desprind lumina.

2021:
desprind lumina
in zambet, si o ascund
in felinare…

2022:
in felinare
sclipirile dainuie –
vis de licurici.

2023:
vis de licurici:
inflorind din greseala
ca flori de cires…

2024:
ca flori de cires,
casuta de lemn pare
o Primavara.

2025:
o Primavara
pe strazile din Kyoto:
pasi purtati prin vis…

2026:
pasi purtati prin vis,
nu va opriti umbletul:
sisif-calator…

the tales of ise

*******

One of the key aspects of the Tales is the celebration of language.
[…]
Another important element is the belief in ancient Japan that words contained spirits and were therefore sacred, hence uttering celebratory words could lead to fortuitous events coming to pass. Known as kotodama shinko, this distinctive feature of the Tales also underpins the concept of kotohogu, uttering words of felicitation either before or after an auspicious event.

*******

One of the most difficult phrases to translate in the Tales is mukashi otoko arikeri (literally, ‘long ago, there was a man’). Donald Keene once joked to me that he gave up translating the Tales when he realized how difficult it would be to translate this apparently simple phrase, which opens many of the episodes. The words in Japanese conjure up an entire world of both poetry and romance, and for many in Japan it is synonymous with both the Tales and Narihira, the hero.

*******
kotodama – unul dintre cuvintele mele japo preferate de pana acum. pentru concept, idee, credinta si sentimentele din mine…

2020:
sa port cu mine
luna haikurilor
in nesfarsire

2021:
in nesfarsire,
stele se aliniaza
printre cuvinte…

2022:
printre cuvinte,
parca se-ascund stele de
punctuatie.

2023:
punctuatie:
nesfarsitul ceresc in
punct si virgula…

2024:
punct si virgula;
o continuare, sau
un nou inceput?!…

2025:
un nou inceput –
prin poarta torii pasi spre
un taram magic…

2026:
un taram magic:
un cer cu flori de ciresi,
si pomi cu stele…

2020:
vis de octombrie –
curcubeu in culori de
toamna tarzie…

2021:
toamna tarzie –
scrisoare de iubire
scriind privirii…

2022:
scriind privirii,
file de manuscris ce
se smulg de ramuri…

2023:
se smulg de ramuri,
razele unui amurg
uitat de soare…

2024:
uitat de soare-
rasare, in suflet un
amurg permanent…

2025:
amurg permanent:
un cantec de adio,
prin vocea toamnei…

2026:
prin vocea toamnei,
o urma de accente –
vara sau iarna?!

the tales of ise

*******

Waka – the most ancient and prestigious of the traditional poetry genres – constitute the literary heart of the Tales.
[…]
The term waka (literally, ‘Japanese poem’) can be used to denote all the various traditional verse-forms in Japanese (tanka, renga, haiku), but it usually refers to poems of five lines in a 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic sequence.

*******

As they could not speak to or see each other, convention demanded that, in order to establish a relationship, they had to exchange poems, and proficiency in poetry composition was expected. Until they actually met, the way men and women evaluated prospective partners was based on the quality of the poems, the tastefulness of the paper on which they were written, and the beauty of the calligraphy.
These exchanges had to adhere to a particular code of conduct.
[…] And if one received a poem on spring, the poem composed in reply was expected to be on the same season; if it were on another season, it would be a sign of a lack of taste. Replies were also expected to cleverly pick up an element of the original poem and quote from it or refer to it in the reply. There would, of course, have been differing levels of skill in composing and appreciating poems, but a basic knowledge of the art of composing poetry was de rigueur for all courtiers; indeed, without such skills they could have expected little success in the art of love.

the tales of ise

*******

The title itself is a mystery. Only two or three of the episodes have any connection with Ise, the site of the great shrine of the Shinto religion, but these few episodes are so striking that they may have caused some editor to name the entire collection of stories after Ise.
[…]
to set the events of the episode in the past, a time that was deemed to be far more elegant than the present.
[…]
an evocation of an era when beauty and the quest for beauty were the most important elements of life. The poetry in each episode makes it possible for us to believe that such people really inhabited this refined court.
[…]
Some poems have inspired whole Noh plays and become familiar to every educated Japanese. The work has not been widely read outside Japan because of the lack of translations that are close to the qualities of the original.
[…]
It is the most poetic translation of this work to date, and adds to the treasures of Japanese literature that can now be enjoyed in English translation.
(Donald Keene Professor Emeritus, Columbia University March 2016, Tokyo)

*******
am chibzuit ceva asupra ce sa aleg drept volumul nr 100 al anului. dupa lungi deliberari si comparatii intre “makioka sisters”, “I am a cat” si “tales of ise”, am ales ise – daca tot ezitam intre clasici, de ce sa nu aleg una dintre scrierile de Inceputuri.
prefata scrisa de Donald Keene ma incanta, entuziasmeaza, copleseste, prevad o delectare – poate nemaiintalnita, si abia o astept!…

2020:
valuri de matcha
ametind simturile –
aroma de zen.

2021:
aroma de zen –
fuji cernind zahar pe
un mousse de matcha…

2022:
un mousse de matcha:
unduiri cromatice
in ceasca zilei.

2023:
in ceasca zilei,
urmele fericirii –
pictura in ceai…

2024:
pictura in ceai:
pe fond verde de matcha,
albul de fuji.

2025:
albul de fuji,
de-o puritate sfanta:
munte iconic.

2026:
munte iconic,
ce-si cerne prezenta in
pudra de matcha…

2020:
nuante de toamna –
lumina zambetului
divinitatii.

2021:
divinitatii,
toamna picteaza frunze-n
sangele verii…

2022:
sangele verii
se revarsa privirii.
pocal de nectar.

2023:
pocal de nectar –
bautura zeilor
se bea din priviri.

2024:
se bea din priviri,
si imprima in suflet –
ce se iubeste.

2025:
ce se iubeste:
cumulul pasiunilor,
in proiectie.

2026:
in proiectie,
traiesc dincolo; poate –
nici eu nu sunt eu?!

dead-end memories – banana yoshimoto

*******

But that’s how most people think. They don’t realize that your mind can be as spacious and as wide-open as you want. Most people don’t even try to see the treasure that lies inside the people they know.

*******

That time had been a gift from fortune, like a blanket gently laid over me by the heavens.

*******

“Keep looking out for happiness. Don’t stop,” I said, and my tears were coming, too. I hung up and cried for just a minute. These were good tears: an offering to accidents of timing.

*******
povestiri cu lumina si intuneric deopotriva, insa cu un final mereu orbitor.

2020:
parfumul iernii
precum un foc de vara.
antinomie.

2021:
antinomie –
prin fulgi de omat, kanji
imi mocnesc prin gand…

2022:
imi mocnesc prin gand
ninsori renascute din
fila unui an.

2023:
fila unui an:
pe tencuieli vechi si noi,
cerneala vremii…

2024:
cerneala vremii,
alba pe paginile
unui mare alb.

2025:
unui mare alb
vartej in parul iernii,
agrafe-sclipici.

2026;
agrafe-sclipici,
topindu-se in plete –
semn de efemer…

dead-end memories – banana yoshimoto

*******

I’m not quite sure how to put this, but it was almost as though—because Nishiyama had already come through the hardest times of his life—the gods had granted him a kind of grace in the form of permission to simply enjoy the remainder of it.
[…]
Keep Nishiyama with you, and fortune will be on your side! Find refuge from the anxieties and uncertainties of this world.

*******

Because what you choose to pay attention to defines your world. That was the conclusion I came to.

dead-end memories – banana yoshimoto

*******

Tomo-chan’s heart took her on so many journeys over the course of its movements and fluctuations that she didn’t feel the need to travel.

*******

Happiness descends on you suddenly, regardless of circumstance, and so indifferently that it seems cruel. It doesn’t care where you are, or who you’re with. You don’t see it coming. You can’t make it happen. It might arrive with your next breath, or you might never get to experience it no matter how long you wait.
Like the movements of waves, or shifts in the weather, the miracle lies in wait for everyone. I just didn’t know it then.