In the Spring, people in Japan traditionally view the cherry blossoms and picnic under the trees. This is called Hanami.
When people view the blossoms by night, it’s called Yozakura. At this time of year it can be cool at night so some people bring blankets, warm saki and body warmers. Sadao sent me the following short poem about Yozakura. The poem is in a style called Senryu. It’s similar to Haiku, but Senryu is more wry. Senryu talks about the human condition.
Here’s the Senryu poem in Japanese, followed by an English translation and the pronunciation:
夜桜 (Yozakura)
夜桜は
燗酒、懐炉に
毛布持ち
English Translation:
Viewing night blossoms,
Bring warmed sake, body warmers
And a blanket.
Pronunciation:
Yozakura-wa
Kanzake kairo-ni
moufu mochi
Here’s a Haiku about yozakura:
夜桜や
母に似た人
遠ざかる
English Translation:
Viewing night blossoms,
A person resembling mother*
Recedes in the distance.
(*This could be a mother who passed away.)
Pronunciation:
Yozakura-ya
Haha-ni nita hito
Toozakaru
If you have a chance, make sure to take the time to enjoy the cherry blossoms near you.
Many thanks to Sadao Mazuka for sharing his photos with us and the poems.
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014 at 10:37 am and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Haiku, Hanami - Cherry Blossom Viewing, Holidays Around the World, Japan, Japanese, Japanese Poems, Languages, Poetry, Senryu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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