Word and image for February

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

This is the last remaining month from my 1901 Japanese woodblock calendar. Although the original picture relates to the festival of inari (god of rice and sake), I’ve chosen a love poem (well, a possibly unrequited love poem!) in honour of Valentine’s Day. Click on the image for the full-size.

 

The image of Gackt is courtesy of one of the nemuri kyoshiro photobooks with my thanks to LJ’s tenshin26100 and GA member ryuik for the choice of scans.

Comments

Re: o tell me the truth about love

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I'm pleased that you enjoyed the end of this series. The front cover and the end paper of the calendar book are also quite nice prints so I might use them too if inspiration strikes.

Ah yes - cold mountain mist and nemuri kyoshiro seem natural companions! There is something about Gackt in traditional dress which is spring for Romantic ideas. For a while I was searching for poems about rice but then I realized that yoking Gackt and rice might be a terrible waste ;=)

I guess you know the Britten sertting of that poem? There can't be many "love" (almost counter-love in Auden's case!) poems with a line as funny as, "is it usually sick on a swing"!

Do you have any favourite poems that might make a good Word and Image here, by the way? Now that I've run out of months, I shall have to search for other prompts. I'm happy to take requests if you don't feel like making your own post.

Thanks for leaving your notes. You've hit it exactly with impassioned and wistful - Gackt does Moved But Not Happy very well! And in so many different ways.