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Frogs
are delightful creatures, but for some reason I've never had much to do
with them and have rarely observed them. However, when I lived in
Asmara, which at the time was still Ethiopia, my house was in a
compound in the middle of a field. There were, for reasons I do not
know, lots of holes dug in the country-side around the compound and
these holes inevitably filled up with water during the rainy season.
Frogs
soon colonized the artificial ponds. In the evenings a virtual frog
concert started with sun-set. At first they reminded me of something
out of a science-fiction movie. They sounded like space ships from a
1950s B movie with a whirling sort of sound.
"ridi pagliaccio"
in open field water holes
the bull frog sings
in open field water holes
the bull frog sings
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
furuike ya kawazu tobikamu mizu no do
the old pond:
a frog jumps in, -
the sound of the water
© Basho (Tr. R.H.Blyth)
placing his hands on the ground,
the frog respectfully recites
his poem
© Sokan (Tr. R.H. Blyth)
Behind the second haiku is the image of an aristocrat:
"... the costume of the aristocracy of Old Japan, the full aptness of the comparison is lost. He is dressed in the Japanese style with his kamishimo, stiffly sticking out and exaggerating the shoulders. Bowing low from the squatting posture, he begins his recitation in a strangely frog-like, sepulchral voice."
danro kounotori no sakebi no maede kaeru no kareno seishitsunitaishite
against his nature,
against his nature,
a frog in front of the fireplace -
the cry of a stork
the cry of a stork
© Yozakura
Haha, it is true that the bullfrog has a deep voice. For years as a young child, I thought the mooing I heard by the river in back of our house were cows across the river because the sound on the water echoed. Boy did I feel silly when I discovered they were the bullfrogs
ReplyDeleteThey really are loud ... though I never mistook them for cow, no cows nearby ;-)
DeleteAh.... to have a backyard Pavarotti would be wonderful!!!! One of those once-in-a-lifetime voices.
ReplyDelete....come to think of it ... Pavarotti *did* look a bit like a bullfrog ... hmmm....!
Great haibun -- you've painted a scene of great beauty -- with just the right touch of humor!!
He probably would have frowned if he'd have seen how I used his Pagliaccio. Glad you enjoyed my walk back into Africa.
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