longing

Walking through beneath the trees...I can see a vegetable garden alongside of a road where I sometimes take a walk with my dog.

In a corner of the garden, some sunflowers are in full bloom.

The following tanka poem was written by Yoko Nagai (永井　陽子１９５１～２０００).

This symmetric verse is so simple that let readers have an indelible impression even after having been read only once.

Simple but I feel something behind her words, and I found that it would be her longing.

ひまはりのアンダルシアはとほけれど とほけれどアンダルシアのひまはり

Although Andalusia of

sunflowers

is a far field;

Though it's faraway,

Sunflowers in Andalusia

Before, I read in some article about the word,longing, and the implication of it.

Longing is "a-ko-ga-re" in Japanese: a（吾）= I, 　ko（此処）= here, ｇare（kareru(離れる）=leave.

That is to say, longing is to leave the place where the person is.

Some people start to travel leaving the safe refuge feeling a compulsion of longing for somewhere else.
And also, there are some cases that something like soul starts to travel with longing for somewhere else from someone who are staying there.

The case of the tanka poem by Yoko Nagai goes for the latter.
And the feeling that readers can read the between the simple lines is travelling of her soul, I think.

I have longing for some unknown place or country once in a while, besides I wish my daily life would be over without any mishap.

The sun will set in behind my neighbour's roof, and on the mountain I can see over the roof they will light soon for those who will be there for enjoying cool evening breeze.

山肌にケーブルカーの道点り　連なる灯り滑りてゆけり

The trail for the little cable car

also being lit up,

Chained lights 

are sliding down

on the mountain surface (haricot)