diaries of court ladies of old japan

the storm was in my heart

Very terrible was the sound of rain…

Of what was I thinking

All the long night through

Listening to the rain against the window?

I was sheltered, but the storm was in my heart.

~The Diary of Izumi Shikibu (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

smoke

Before my vision
The fire and smoke of burning
Arose and died again.
To bamboo fields there is no more returning,
Why seek there in vain?

~Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan, The Sarashina Diary

lens-artist: reflections

In this hour of longing
Reflection brings to mind each day gone by
And in each one
Was less of sorrow.*

“… the dream interpreter interpreted my dream, but I could not realize this. Only the sorrowful reflection in the mirror was realized unaltered. …”**

Anne from Slow Shutter Speed invites lens-artists to explore images of reflections

*The Diary of Izumi Shikibu, Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

**cited: The Sarashina Diary, Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

7.19.2024 @ 6:02:59 am

O for a friend–that we might see and listen together!
O the beautiful dawn in the mountain village!–
The repeated sound of cuckoos near and far away.~The Sarashina Diary*

Fujifilm XT-4 … *f/5.6* 1/600s 60mm 160 ISO

*cited: Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

life’s passages … 84

“The sight of the leaves ever reminds me strangely of my own sadness. I cannot go within, but lie on the veranda; mayhap my end is not far off. I feel a vague anger that others are in comfortable sleep and cannot sympathize with me. Just now I hear the faint cry of a wild goose.* Others will not be touched by it, but I cannot endure the sound.

How many nights, alas!-

Sleepless-

Only the calls of the wild geese-

~The Diary of Izumi Shikibu (cited: Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

*Footnote within the Diary of Court Ladies of Old Japan notes that the “wild geese visit Japan in Autumn and fly away northwards in the early spring. They are never alone, and their cries calling to each other make the solitary woman feel loneliness more keenly.”

life’s passages … 77

“For remembrance of her I wanted to write about her,”… but I stopped short with the words, “Ink seems to have frozen up, I cannot write any more.” *

How shall I gather memories of my sister?

The stream of letters is congealed.

No comfort may be found in icicles

~The Sarashina Diary (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

*The continuous writing of the cursive Japanese characters is often compared to a meandering river. “Ink seems to have frozen up” means that her eyes are dim with tears, and no more she can write continuously and flowingly.

life’s passages … 72

O for a friend–that we might see and listen together!
O the beautiful dawn in the mountain village!–
The repeated sound of cuckoos near and far away.~The Sarashina Diary (1009-1059)*

*cited: Trans: A S Omori & K Dot, Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

Leica V-Lux 5: f/4 …. 1/125 s … 146 mm … 640 ISO

lens-artists photo challenge: soft

Regret that dropping sun’s dusk;
Love this cold stream’s clearness.
Western beams follow flowing water;
Stir a ripple in wandering person’s mind.
Idly sing, gazing at cloudy moon;
Song done—sound of tall pines 
~ Li Po  (Translated: Arthur Waley, The Poet Li Po The Project Gutenberg

Pale green night and flowers all melting into one
in the soft haze–
Everywhere the moon, glimmering in the Spring night ~The Sarashina Diary (cited: Court Ladies of Old Japan)

Wait on, never forsake your hope,
For when the plum-tree is in flower
Even the unpromised, the unexpected, will come to you. ~The Sarashina Diary (cited: Court Ladies of Old Japan)