Quotation

He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that we cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. - Aeschylus

Sunday, January 24, 2016

The Weeping Mountain

A poem written on the occasion of my grandfather's death.

私のお爺さんは死にました。 
空は泣きました。 山は泣きました。 
天国は喜びました。

English Translation:

My grandfather died.
The sky wept.  The mountain wept.
Heaven rejoiced.



A poem written for the occasion of my grandfather's funeral.

あなたは岸辺の他に行きました。
あなたは天国の神に会いました。
あなたは天国の愛に会いました。
あなたは天国の庭を見つけました。
あなたは天国の輝かしさを見つけました。
私達は岸辺の他に会いましょう。


English Translation:

You've gone to the other shore.
You've met the God of heaven.
You've met the love of heaven.
You've found the garden of heaven.
You've found the glory of heaven.
We'll see you on the other shore.

Note: These poems were written while I was taking my 4th semester of Japanese, which is why I composed them in Japanese with rough English translations rather than composing them in English.  The first poem was written the way it was because of the rain and flowing water that marked my journey to the mountains for the funeral.  The second was written the way it was because of one of the songs selected for his funeral evoked the image of the other shore, a common image in many religious traditions for passing on to the next life, including in Buddhism.  I am sharing these now because the anniversary of his death is coming up.  Photo credit goes to me.

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