owling9 michinoku 2017

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Poet

Ame ni mo makezu 
Be not Defeated by the Rain

 This is a famous poem written by NAME , a poet from the northern prefecture of Iwate in Japan who lived from 1896 to 1933.
The poem was found posthumously in a small black notebook in one of the poet's trunks.


Copied from Wikipedia.
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JapaneseTransliterationTranslation
雨ニモマケズ
風ニモマケズ
雪ニモ夏ノ暑サニモマケヌ
丈夫ナカラダヲモチ
慾ハナク
決シテ瞋ラズ
イツモシヅカニワラッテイル
一日ニ玄米四合ト
味噌ト少シノ野菜ヲタベ
アラユルコトヲ
ジブンヲカンジョウニ入レズニ
ヨクミキキシワカリ
ソシテワスレズ
野原ノ松ノ林ノ蔭ノ
小サナ萱ブキノ小屋ニイテ
東ニ病気ノ子供アレバ
行ッテ看病シテヤリ
西ニツカレタ母アレバ
行ッテソノ稲ノ束ヲ負ヒ
南ニ死ニソウナ人アレバ
行ッテコワガラナクテモイイトイイ
北ニケンカヤソショウガアレバ
ツマラナイカラヤメロトイイ
ヒデリノトキハナミダヲナガシ
サムサノナツハオロオロアルキ
ミンナニデクノボウトヨバレ
ホメラレモセズ
クニモサレズ
ソウイウモノニ
ワタシハナリタイ
ame ni mo makezu
kaze ni mo makezu
yuki ni mo natsu no atsusa ni mo makenu
jōbu na karada wo mochi
yoku wa naku
kesshite ikarazu
itsu mo shizuka ni waratte iru
ichi nichi ni genmai yon gō to
miso to sukoshi no yasai wo tabe
arayuru koto wo
jibun wo kanjō ni irezu ni
yoku mikiki shi wakari
soshite wasurezu
nohara no matsu no hayashi no kage no
chiisa na kayabuki no koya ni ite
higashi ni byōki no kodomo areba
itte kanbyō shite yari
nishi ni tsukareta haha areba
itte sono ine no taba wo oi
minami ni shinisō na hito areba
itte kowagaranakute mo ii to ii
kita ni kenka ya soshō ga areba
tsumaranai kara yamero to ii
hideri no toki wa namida wo nagashi
samusa no natsu wa oro-oro aruki
minna ni deku-no-bō to yobare
homerare mo sezu
ku ni mo sarezu
sō iu mono ni
watashi wa naritai
not losing to the rain
not losing to the wind
not losing to the snow nor to summer's heat
with a strong body
unfettered by desire
never losing temper
cultivating a quiet joy
every day four bowls of brown rice
miso and some vegetables to eat
in everything
count yourself last and put others before you
watching and listening, and understanding
and never forgetting
in the shade of the woods of the pines of the fields
being in a little thatched hut
if there is a sick child to the east
going and nursing over them
if there is a tired mother to the west
going and shouldering her sheaf of rice
if there is someone near death to the south
going and saying there's no need to be afraid
if there is a quarrel or a lawsuit to the north
telling them to leave off with such waste
when there's drought, shedding tears of sympathy
when the summer's cold, wandering upset
called a nobody by everyone
without being praised
without being blamed
such a person
I want to become

Monday, April 25, 2011

Anzac Day

A N Z A C   D A Y

Monday
25th April, 2011


Lest we forget.



On the Job


Monday morning


25th April, 2011

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This City - bridge reconstruction is commencing.  




Below:  And today I also had to take a trip to That City from This City
as much as I didn`t really want to.
It certainly seemed to have copped a bit of a floggin` in the temblor,
and especially so around The Mall.





Below:  Something beautiful to share instead of just misery.
Sakura in Hiyama Park.


However even the cemetaries were badly damaged - R.I.P.





Below: Bye Bye Asian Elements ....




Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Sunday Luncheon

Easter Sunday
24th April, 2011
Lunchtime
This City

* * * * * *

We jumped on our bicycles and pedalled furiously out to an
Okonomiaki Shop we had never tried before.

 

Staff (two sisters) were so kind !

Food was soooooooooo delicious
Servings were generous.
 Special Sakura ice cream with a dab of sweet beans makes for a superb dessert, methinks.

Easter Fare


Our
      Easter 
   Fare
          Together



very late Saturday evening
24th April, 2011
we went out for dinner together
@
Hana no Mai
This City. 


Tuesday, 25th January  to Thursday, 5th May = 100 days.
We have almost done it !
Not so difficult, actually.....


Looks great.
Tasted great, too !




Then we happily marched and laughed our way 
on through the wind & rain 
to
Danke Schon
 for
 hot, strong coffee `n vanilla ice cream.
Yuuuuuuummmmy.

And back at our apartment I was given a wonderful surprise !


ThanXX for my beautiful Easter flowers.
Itsumo aishiteru

And on Sunday evening ( next night ) we ate a couple of the eggs Chikako had hand-painted .....








Friday, April 22, 2011

= Good Friday =


Good Friday
22 April, 2011

This Brokenhearted City
     My Beautiful Brokenhearted Home   

            

 The Lord Helps the Brokenhearted

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.



Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection 
first exhibited 1834
Painted by William Etty (1787-1849)

__________________________________________________


Wholeness Blessing - We Are Not Broken

We walk in troubled times,
But let us not be troubled souls.
We stand in financial challenge,
But let us not see our lives only in crisis.
We have suffered loss, pain, and indignities.
But we have survived, and we will survive.
We have been hurt and we may be broke,
But we are not broken.
Amen.
- Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway


Buson

Buson (Translation)
harusame ya
koiso no kogai
nururuhodo
Spring rain -
Small shells on a small beach
glittering

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Made in Japan

B  U  Y

M a d e   i n    J A P A N


Monday Evening
18th April, 2011

Michinoku Fish







Swans

Feeding the hungry swans down by the river

Sunday morning
17th April, 2011







Lucky Island.


Ohanami
Sunday, 17th April, 2011
This City.


Dango (団子)




Hana yori dango