Earlier today, I was reading some of the poem translations of the 100 Poems or Hyakunin Isshu, when I suddenly got the inspiration to write. The poem that inspired me was the 23rd poem in the poem collection which was written by Oe no Chisato.
In this post, I'll let you see the original poem in Japanese, the English translation as well as the poem I wrote that was inspired from it. Later in this post, I'll also show the Japanese calligraphy or writing that I did. I hope you guys enjoy it. Well, it's kind of sorrowful, but I hope that it's to your liking.
First let me show you the original poem by Oe no Chisato in Japanese. I got the original Japanese script as well as the translation in this website. I tried writing the Japanese poem vertically. It's really difficult for me to write kanji (Chinese characters), but I did my best. Thanks to a certain app, I was able to follow the correct stroke order.
Tsuki mireba
月見れば
Chiji ni mono koso
ちぢに物こそ
Kanashi kere
悲しけれ
Waga mi hitotsu no
わが身ひとつの
Aki ni wa aranedo
秋にはあらねど
This poem is written by Oe no Chisato. In Japan, they call their poem "Waka". My student told me when we once talked about Japanese poetry that "Waka" usually follow the 5-7-5-7-7 pattern. When I tried to check the 23rd poem, I was curious because it actually didn't follow the said pattern. The 23rd poem has 5-7-5-6-8. When I noticed this, I tried to search why it's different and I read in WIKI, Waka is also called Misohitomoji (三十一文字). It means 31 syllables, so I suppose Oe Chisato's poetry still followed the 31-syllable rule. I'm not very sure about it, so I guess I'll have to ask my student about it when I get the chance. (hihihi)
Here's the English translation of the poem. I also tried to write it down.
I have always thought that the moon is fascinating, but when I read the poem, I realized that the moon can also make people feel so lonely. My interpretation of the poem might be different from others, but I believe that the moon reminded the writer of someone he couldn't have for himself. Just like the moon, it belongs to everyone. It shines upon everyone.
Having these thoughts, I then wrote my own poem which was inspired by the 23rd poem. Here it is.
When Looking at the Moon
Loneliness enveloped me with all its might
My heart felt cold; empty, as if it's dead
Succumbed in solitude; my spirit fled
A faint glint of light bemused my eye
I saw the moon shining in the starless sky
Looking so elegant; bewitching orb full of grace
The longing heightened; I desire to revel in your embrace
The days we spent made me complete
But now I'm drowning in sheer defeat
Lamenting in anguish for I have lost
Luck wasn't mine when the dice were tossed
The moon's beauty was enticing, yet suffocating
Hearing my own heartbeat seems nauseating
The more I wallow in this ghastly melancholy
I realized how indispensable it was to set you free
@tegoshei
The poem I made above is my own interpretation of the poem made by Oe no Chisato. Simply reading these poems from the past made me experience a lot of various emotions that I just couldn't contain it. I feel like I have to write something.
If I get inspired by another poem, I'd definitely share it here again. So I hope you guys look forward to it as well. Thanks a lot for reading. Anyway, as promised at the start of this post, I wanted to show how I made the Japanese poem, so please check it out below.
Those were the original calligraphy I made. I just edited it using Pixlr app on my phone. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks a lot for checking this post out! See you next time! (_)/