diaries of court ladies of old japan

mirrors

“Our mind is a painter, it paints all kinds of wonderful things, which are nothing more than the objects of our imagination. We create images to love, to crave, to be angry with, and to hate. It is our mind, our perceptions, that create these images. All perceptions are wrong perceptions. If a perception is not wrong, we call it understanding or wisdom.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh (The Other Shore)

Nikon D750 f/5 1/400s 70mm 140 ISO

Alas! the waving moss deceived your vision. 
The clear mirror* is never tarnished: 
Therefore look deep. ~ Lady Sakyo (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

*The mirror is the symbol of the soul of a Japanese woman

remembrance of her…

“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)

Nikon D750 f/4.5 1/400 58mm

*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.

lens-artists photo challenge: reflections

Even into the mind always clouded with grief, 
There is cast the reflection of the bright moon ~The Sarashina Diary (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

North Shields Pond.…Nikon D750 f/7.1 1/400s 44mm 360 ISO

image submitted in response to Patti’s lens-artists photo challenge: reflections