Leaf 59 – Reflections
 |
| Franz von Defregger - Der Leser |
Another stab, this time done
solo (see Leaf 38), at writing a proper 5-7-5 senryu in Japanese. Not sure how
well or if it even works, but the autobiographical sentiment is true enough and
sums me up well.
長閑さや 目のつかれたる 本終わり
のどかさや めのつかれたる ほんおわり
Tranquillity
| tired eyes | the end of the book
Which is meant to suggest something
like:
Ah, peace and quiet!
– my eyes grown weary,
reaching the book’s final page.
Leaf 38 – Senryu (or, witty tom-foolery)
My wife and I recently composed
a joint haiku – or rather, a senryu (see, Leaf 33). It was a joking response to
one of us suffering from a rumbling tummy the morning after a long night out over-indulging
at a ‘yakiniku’ (Japanese barbeque) restaurant, punning upon the famous haiku
about the sound of a frog jumping into an old pond, written by Matsuo Bashō
(with apologies to Bashō!). We did so purely for our own amusement,
and so we composed it under a non-sensical, shared ‘haijin’ name of “Negibu.”
It conforms in Japanese to the proper 5-7-5 structure of senryu. I will neither confirm or deny which one of us it refers to.
古食堂 食べ過ぎたから 腹の音 葱ぶ
ふるしょくどう たべ すぎたから はらのおと ねぎぶ
Furu
shokudō tabesugita kara hara no oto Negibu
Literally:
Old restaurant having
over-eaten sound of stomach
Which roughly translates as:
Having over-eaten
at the old restaurant
– tummy grumbles.
古池や 蛙飛び込む 水の音
furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
The old pond – a frog leaps, splash!