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Tuesday, February 09, 2010

fifty year-old face

Issa 一茶1815 age 52

出代の市にさらすや五十顔

degawari no ichi ni sarasu ya go ju^ kao

David’s English

a laid-off servant at market--
his fifty year-old face
exposed

http://cat.xula.edu/issa/

In springtime, old servants were replaced by young ones. The old ones would leave their employers to return to their home villages; the young ones traveled in the opposite direction. In earlier times this took place during the Second Month; later, the Third Month. Shinij Ogawa corrected my earlier translation. Instead of fifty faces (as I had assumed), there is just one fifty year-old face.

sakuo haiga



6 comments:

Gillena Cox said...

this one is another of my favourites

much love
gillena

marty45 said...

Nice comment on life's reality

John McDonald said...

sad little haiku love the painting sakuo san
john

Unknown said...

Gillena san,
thank you for your kind comment.

arigatou.

sakuo.

Unknown said...

Dear Marty san,
Thanks a lot
arigatou!

We can share same image with Issa,great haiku-ist 250 years before.
.

sakuo.

Unknown said...

John san,
Thank you for sharing.
You, Issa and me could have same image over time and space.

sakuo.