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Japanese Death Poems
- block_dagger 8mo agoDeath is apparently snowy
- lukan 8mo agoI don't know whether there is a specific japanese cultural explanation, but in general it often was. In winter when it was cold, those who lacked the strength to go on, layed down in the snow to rest forever.
- gcanyon 8mo agoI don't remember who said it, but a statement that has stuck with me is: The moment when the most you can do is less than the least you need to do, you die.
- retrac 8mo agoEverything dies in winter. And then is reborn. Everyone who lives in a cold climate knows deep in their bones that cold and winter are death. Though if we're going to get stereotypical about national characteristics (a dangerous game) then what might be more specifically Japanese is the particularly heightened understanding of this cycle. Or at least, its expression in art, when in the west we might flinch away. I'm currently reading Spring Snow, so probably some of Yukio Mishima is drifting into my thoughts here. (Explaining puns ruins them but there it is again: Yuki o. Snow.)
- lemonberry 8mo agoNot to mention the stillness and silence of new fallen snow. Probably the closest in life we come to the stillness and silence of death.
- DaedalusII 8mo agospirits travel to rest in the mountains after death. the mountain is a place between life and death. there is much association between mountains and death. then by extension snow
- seletskiy 8mo agoNow that my storehouse has burned down, nothing conceals the moon. This piece instantly reminded me of Ashes and Snow movie, where one of the poems has very similar opening (followed, in my opinion, by even more beautiful piece, which you can easily find if interested): Ever since my house burnt down, I see the moon more clearly I wonder whether or not this is just a coincidence.
- aanet 8mo agoI was reminded of the writer Pico Iyer's beautiful writing in Aflame: Learning from Silence of exactly this sentiment, after his house burned down [1] `My house burnt down I can now see better The rising moon` [1] https://www.mariashriversundaypaper.com/pico-iyers-fire-grief-and-life-lessons/ https://www.mariashriversundaypaper.com/pico-iyers-fire-grie...
- the_sleaze_ 8mo ago"when my house burned down, I gained an unobstructed view of the sky" A different translation of the same
- pelasaco 8mo ago"A last fart: are these the leaves of my dream, vainly falling? In the original, the image of a dream is combined with the cruder image of passing wind.." Is the wind representing the fart here?
- shawn_w 8mo agoPassing wind is another term (among many others) for farting.
- pjc50 8mo ago"Passing wind" is an English euphemism, the original does not use "kaze" (wind) but goes straight for "he" (fart). The original word order also puts the dream at the start and drops fart right at the end, which I think is funnier than putting it on the first line.
- Rooster61 8mo agoI particularly loved this one. I interpreted it as a man indulging in one last ephemeral vanity. A literal last fart in the whirlwind of life used as a metaphor to illustrate how useless mankind's boasts are next to the inevitability and finality of death
- pndy 8mo agoThis is surely epitaph equivalent from that part of the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaph?useskin=vector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitaph?useskin=vector
- pjc50 8mo agoI only know a tiny corner of the language, but for things like this I really wish they'd cite the original Japanese. Precisely because the haiku is a constrained form, it is also an opportunity for ambiguity, double-meaning, and cases where a word may be translated with the same semantics but different connotations. By comparison, the gold standard for dealing with non-English poetry in English: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0135 https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1... You have (1) the original Greek, (2) word-by-word lookup, (3) translation notes, and (4) multiple translations.
- buntsai 8mo agoAgree 10,000 fold. English and Japanese are so different and have such different standards of aesthetics and literary form that good translations are like independent creations inspired by the original. I would like to know that the original form was. Even a word by word ungrammatical transliteration would be helpful. But not to have the Japanese available means I cannot even look it up...
- tl2do 8mo agoI am a native Japanese Original Kanji - hiragana works: おほけなき床の錦や散り紅葉 How it sounds: Oh ke naki Yukano nishikiya chiri ko yo
- darkerside 8mo agoOh ho ke na ki?
- DaedalusII 8mo agoThe sun sips the sky until it is drowning I am circling my prey If I am strong, the world will finally let us be https://pearlharbor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/USS-Essex-CV-9-is-hit-by-a-Kamikaze-25-November-1944.jpg https://pearlharbor.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/USS-Essex...
- Noaidi 8mo agoSince time began the dead alone know peace. Life is but melting snow. ~~ Having a mental illness and being homeless I sit with my life now and let it melt. I know death is coming so I just let it come. I tried to force death to come twice, but I found that suffering is really no different that joy. I live in a van right now so I am upper class homeless but soon I may be totally shelterless. Part of me is looking forward to it. Through the last ten years, moving from riches to rags, all my past attachments, all I can do is laugh at myself. There is such a weird liberation in inescapable suffering and I hope you all get to experience it someday.
- tl2do 8mo agoAs a native Japanese speaker, I'm happy to see our literature introduced to other countries. But I also feel conflicted. The original Japanese of the first poem is: おほけなき床の錦や散り紅葉 The translation on the site: > I am not worthy > of this crimson carpet: > autumn maple leaves. This contains the translator's interpretation, and the sound and intonation are completely lost. I admire the translator's effort, but I want visitors to understand how much this differs from the original.
- darkerside 8mo agoI feel like trying to replicate the meter in English is a silly constraint I would prefer to know how each line would be best interpreted if it weren't a haiku
- deleted 8mo ago[deleted]
- tl2do 8mo agoI am not a literature lover. I found a modern language interpretation of the poem. Many interpretation are possible. But I feel this is relevant. I translated it to English. ============ おほけなき床の錦や散り紅葉 "Ohokenaki toko no nishiki ya chiri momiji" is interpreted as a haiku-like expression of introspection and refined aesthetic sensibility — one in which the speaker, surrounded by undeserved honor (ohokenaki) and luxurious living (toko no nishiki = sumptuous furnishings), gazes upon the fleeting falling autumn leaves and reflects on their own vanity and attachment to life. Key points of interpretation: おほけなき Ohokenaki (身の程知らず /畏れ多い): Refers to a luxurious situation or standing that exceeds one's true worth or station — something almost presumptuous to possess. 床の錦 Toko no nishiki: Literally, a beautifully brocaded floor covering; a symbol of opulence. By extension, it evokes the sight of vivid autumn leaves carpeting the ground — the splendor of autumn (nishiki-aki) likened to a gorgeous spread of fabric. 散り紅葉 Chiri momiji : Falling, scattering autumn leaves — a classic symbol of impermanence and the Buddhist sense of transience (mujo). Overall picture: The speaker finds themselves in lavish surroundings that feel undeserved (ohokenaki), while the scattering leaves (mujo) adorn that world with a beauty that is at once gorgeous and hollow — a quiet contrast between humility and the ephemeral. Even amid a life of splendor, the sight of leaves falling reveals a universal truth — that all things must eventually end. The poem captures a mood that is gently melancholic yet elevated: savoring that beauty from a place of quiet, dignified acceptance.
- andyjohnson0 8mo agoDon’t just stand there with your hair turning gray, soon enough the seas will sink your little island. So while there is still the illusion of time, set out for another shore. No sense packing a bag. You won’t be able to lift it into your boat. Give away all your collections. Take only new seeds and an old stick. Send out some prayers on the wind before you sail. Don’t be afraid. Someone knows you’re coming. An extra fish has been salted. by Mona (Sono) Santacroce (1928–1995) from The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski
- ThrowawayTestr 8mo ago"Death poems are mere delusion— death is death." Hardcore
- Rooster61 8mo agoI feel the profound written word austerity; Death, captured in time
- stared 8mo agoIn the topic of death poems, I consider "You Want It Darker" by Leonard Cohen a masterpiece. He was 83 with terminal cancer. Yet, this song captures both his wit & spirit at its height.
- locusofself 8mo agosuch a good tune
- evanjrowley 8mo agoIf you enjoy longer poems, then you might like The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart (1992). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162343.The_Rag_and_Bone_Shop_of_the_Heart https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162343.The_Rag_and_Bone_...
- jackdoe 8mo agoin contrast: death row inmate's last statements https://web.archive.org/web/20250221030618/https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_executed_offenders.html https://web.archive.org/web/20250221030618/https://www.tdcj....
- ge96 8mo agoWow, I wonder what I would say if I had no choice but to accept dying Maybe just one word F Makes me think of that infinite improbability drive scene 2005, these people reach the end of their maze, life path
- layman51 8mo agoSo this is where the Tenchu video game series gets its inspiration for some of its game over screens.
- HardwareLust 8mo agoYes, some of the translations are inexact, but what gets me is how many of these are still beautiful and even profound even after they are translated.