Word and image

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Here is another poem from the classic Japanese verse anthology hyaku nin isshiu, collected in 1235.  This time, the poem is written by one of the four court poets charged by Emperor Daigo to compile the kokinshu, the first of the imperial poetry collections.   

The Japanese text of the poem was very kindly provided by excused_early  to whom this piece is dedicated:  I hope that I have not spoiled your favourite poem for you!

The image of Gackt is courtesy of and presumed copyright to Cool up magazine Vol 29, July 2010.  The photograph of the cherry blossom is my own, taken in Japan last year.

The poet who wrote the words was tomonori ki (c.850 – c. 904);  here is an imagined picture of him, drawn by kikuchi yosai.

Comments

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much!

You can find the entire kokinshu online, (as well as The Tale of Genji, classics of haiku poetry, Kabuki plays) with japanese and translated texts side by side at the University of Virgina Japanese Text Initiative.

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

That's useful to know, thanks. However, at the current rate of progress (if we are permitted to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the definition of progress a little!), the 100 poems of Old Japan should keep me out of mischief for a long while yet.

The 1901 calendar is stuck on September at present pending a poem hunt so perhaps the archive you mention will help. Let's hope so!

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Well, hopefully other people can use the resource! It's pretty astonishing what you can find online, particularly when you need to do other things!

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed. It would be good if some others discovered the endless amusement of finding that Gackt can always provide you with the perfect face or pose for the poem you've chosen!

Ha - it's so astonishing that I scarcely sleep for following up links and unmissable photos and footage (last night it was Venetian carnival masks and their making, for no particular reason! Or perhaps the reason was that I was wanting to party for Gackt's birthday)

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Were you interested in Venetian carnvial masks because Gackt has one? I know they celebrate Carnival all over the world, noteably Rio, but I would really like to go to Venice instead.

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Sadly no. My interest was far more shallow than that - I was just comparing some of the details with the Versailles costumes. And they are all gorgeous to look at, of course.

That would be a great trip (Venice). I hope that, one day, you get the leisure and the resources to go - with or without a mask of your own.

[karadin.livejournal.com]

maybe that's another challenge someday.

[sarahlgollum.livejournal.com]

*stares in awe* So pretty, both the words and image! Thank you!

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I'm pleased that you like it. This was a request so I really didn't want to mess up (I bet I divided the Japanese text in the wrong place though! It probably lo

oks like this to a native reader)

Yes, the kimono picture of Gackt is lovely, isn't it? And happily, the original really does have the dappled look of light through trees. It definitely isn't me being super-clever with PhotoShop!

Thanks for your comment.

[eclatc4t.livejournal.com]

thank you -- it's very beautiful.
really like the smoky lavender/indigo palette, so well chosen to illustrate the sentiment

thanks also for the interesting historical information

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you find it beautiful. I was very anxious to make the visuals beautiful because - aagh - I was struggling with the words. I can't read Japanese and the early 20thC translation that I use to make my paraphrase is ham-fisted, to put it politely. All I can do is find the poet's idea buried in there somewhere and expose what parts I can. Probably I have given the poet's "child" five heads, nine legs and a forked tail!

Gackt's expression and dress here seem (to my strange eyes) like a bride in mourning - very fitting for cherry blossom which never sees a summer. The background colour is a mixture of bruise and dusk - so, as you say, a shade for the hurting and the valediction.

Thanks very much for looking and reading.

[excused-early.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh..., thank you so much, wongkk, for this splendid job!! @_____@
It's....... BEAUTIFUL....... Y____Y

And the lavender color you picked for the poem, that's EXACTLY the color I've always envisioned when I hear this poem!!! @__@;;;
And that, coupled with the blue sky and the faint pink of cherry blossoms, makes it so perfect...
And of course, G, looking like he's in deep thoughts while feeling the petals fall in the sunlight is pure magic...

I just love it so much. I'm going to definitely keep this one (but don't worry, I never repost works of other people! ^_~). Thank you, you did an amazing job!
(And, no, you split the original Japanese at the PERFECT spot. Actually the only spot that would've worked! WOOOOT!!)

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm so glad you like it!!

I didn't post this for three days - partly to leave Gackt's birthday sacrosanct and partly out of worry that I'd done something stupid with the Japanese and that I'd chosen pictures/colours that you didn't like. I am very relieved by your kind comment! (but the choice of split is a fluke - I just picked the visually correct place, which means that the poem must be very beautifully balanced).

Yes, do take it - it's yours. The GA post is public so I don't mind other people seeing or using it - the more glory to Mr Gackt the better!

Thank you so much for giving me the Japanese text in a digital text format. Otherwise, I have only the photos of the printed page which I can't use with Photoshop as a text layer. You made it possible for me to do something better here so I'm happy to see that you like the result.

[excused-early.livejournal.com]

Thanks again! :3

If you have a scanned Japanese poem that you want in digital in the future, let me know. I'd be happy to write it down for you! ^^

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Thank you - that is a very kind offer. Probably I will ask you at some point then, although I will look first for an online bilingual version of the 100 poems; I don't want to ask you just because I am lazy!

Also I don't know if the PhotoShop text fonts (e.g. MS mincho) work with kanji and furigana. The Japanese text in my book is quite complicated, whereas the hiragana one you put in the comment for me was simpler. I still have so much to learn!