Snow poetry

[nineveh_uk]

This year's calendar, a Christmas present from antisoppist,is images of nineteenth century Japanese woodblock prints, and also has a small poem for each month. Alas, January's image did not involve snow, but it did have a good poem, by Princess Shikishi, who seems to have quite an interesting life insofar as that could be achieved as an imperial princess in twelfth century Japan (a period about which I know nothing).

The kind of place
where the way a traveler's tracks
disappear in snow
is something you get used to -
such a place is this world of ours.*

It occurs to me that whether this is a murder mystery depends entirely on which direction the footprints are going in, and whether the traveler is with me now by the fire.

Meanwhile it has not really snowed in Oxford** more than a dusting, but there have been quite a few flakes hanging in the air looking pretty. I am finding going out in the cold not the best idea at the moment, so since I was feeling quite bright I got out the exercise bike for the first time in March and peddled v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y on the lowest gear, as if going for a stroll. But though my muscles asked what on earth I was doing, I didn't collapse in exhaustion afterwards, so that is good.

*Translator not given, but presumably one of those listed here.

**It did a fortnight ago when through a great effort of will I accepted that going skiing would be a terrible idea and went for a walk in it instead.

Comments

[azdak]

Those are really good poems. Thank you for the link! I shall explore them slowly, as advised.

[nineveh_uk]

I like that they include transitional seasons with a distinct feeling.

[white_hart]

I think she would get on with the Venomous Bede and his sparrow flying through the hall.

I am sad about the lack of snow. When you can't go out to work anyway, snow would be welcome!

[nineveh_uk]

My family in Edinburgh are sending me snow pictures and I am very envious. We can't go out anyway, it's freezing cold, why can't it be pretty, too?

[slemslempike]

I really like the specificity of her maybe lover being in "the northern corner of the kitchen" as an alibi.

[nineveh_uk]

One might almost suspect it of being a little too precise!

[nnozomi]

That's lovely. I would read a series of murder mysteries in which Princess Shikishi was the detective, for the record. I wish I had the chops to translate poetry...

[nineveh_uk]

I'm really impressed when people translate poetry well. OK, I can't possibly judge it as a version of the original here, but the result is definitely poetry and not clunkiness.