Borges' Library

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Persimmons in Winter

IMG_2935Kigo (季語) is a Japanese word or phrase associated with a particular season; especially in poetry. And "persimmon" (柿) is one of the famous kigo for autumn.

While originally coming from China, persimmons were imported into Japan very early on; where the growing of the fruit--and especially the unforgettable sight of persimmons hanging from the rafters of farmhouses in the cold autumn air to make dried persimmons-- has become a quintessentially Japanese practice from ancient times.  (古事記や日本書紀の中に記述が見られる).

Persimmons have been associated with the sound of temple bells tolling (in particular of the great bell at Horyuji Temple in Nara).

I love this haiku by Shiki (one of my all-time favorite poets)

柿くへば鐘が鳴るなり法隆寺

Biting into a persimmon

The great bell tolls

--Horyuji Temple

 

Gabi Greve has multiple translation options for the poem on her site.

Don't forget that Horyuji's bell resounds like Big Ben, one of the notes reminds us. Indeed!

Some of the translation play up the "when" (the moment when the poet takes his first bite is when the bell resounds); while others compare the deep tolling sound in the cold autumn air with the astringent taste of the fruit.

The post about a discussion that took place on a translation site ends like this (fascinating for translators especially!)

By now the process had been rolling for more than seventy-two hours. Under the heading 'Nuts and Bolts' the points raised might be summarised as:

1/ The tense and condition of the verb 'eat', its physical nature and abstract connotations
2/ The actual and symbolic nature of the sound of the bell
3/ The type and taste of the persimmon eaten
4/ The nature of the juxtaposition bell-fruit.
5/ The most effective image order
6/ The inclusion of the word 'temple'

The heading 'Translation Issues' would group some concerns such as:

A/ Literal, word for word, substitution vs. the translation of concepts
B/ Capturing tone
C/ The inclusion of phonic effects
D/ The uses of ambiguity
E/ Layering the meaning.
F/ The degree of context needed

Clearly then, Haiku Forum members were poised on the brink of a magisterial synthesis which would yield the definitive translation of Shiki's masterpiece.

Susumu Takiguchi:

" In order to understand Shiki's "persimmon/Horyuji" haiku really well, one must visit Horyuji around 25 October, take a rest at the tea house, eat persimmons and wait for the "tsuri-gane" bell to toll. Short of that, one should at least eat persimmons."

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A universe of meaning contained in that one short haiku! I love that last sentence too, "at least one should eat persimmons when translating the poem!" 

I was eating persimmon bread when I did mine at top--not sure I like it as much as the translations I happened on today but that's okay.. 

Last year, I stumbled on this wonderful persimmon bread recipe and C baked it twice last year and --being behind in everything these days-- we had our first batch this morning in mid-winter! Bon appetite!

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Thank you so much, Jiayan for reminding me of the documentary Red Persimmons (Film Journal entry)

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A Yuzu Bath on the Winter Solstice ゆず湯

IMG_3055In Japan, on the night of the winter solstice we always took a bath with Yuzu  (ゆず湯)

Looking like lemons, I think they taste more like grapefruit. As you probably know, yuzu are small lemons that taste like grapefruit. They are oily and smell wonderfully fragrant. We just tossed in a handful of yuzu into the bathwater -- Kazy loved the way the little lemons would bob on the water's surface.

Like in the West, the winter solstice in Japan is a celebration of the return of the sun (light defeating darkness)--but in Japan, seasonal turning points are those times when people are vulnerable to catching a cold.

Ichiyo raifuku (一陽来復) is moment in time when the darker "yin" days return to "yang." And, it is said that if you take a yuzu bath on the winter solstice, you won't catch a cold!

In Pasadena, yuzu are not cheap so I buy yuzu bath salts from Chidoriya and save the real yuzu for cocktails!!

This year we used this recipe from Food52

The taste of basil is a great pairing with the yuzu...

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For 4-6 drinks

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup basil
Ice
Vodka


Yuzu juice (unsweetened), or fresh grapefruit, lemon, lime juice, or a combination For the Syrup: Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water into a saucepan. Heat until dissolved. Add about 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves. Let steep for 15 minutes. Pour through a sieve, reserving syrup. Chill. When thirsty, mix equal parts syrup, yuzu and vodka. Pour over ice. You could get fancy and get out the cocktail shaker, or you could invite a slurp of club soda along. And if there's no yuzu at your house, a mix of grapefruit and lime juice would be splendid. Enjoy with a squeeze of lime. 

乾杯!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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