Kigo (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)