2012年2月20日月曜日

in two gardens

I attended a tanka poem monthly meeting which was held in a city hall next to this garden,located in Hyogo prefecture, on Feb. 15.



In this garden 190 trees of Ume( Japanese apricots) of 39species, are planted.

 
When a big earthquake attacked Hyogo in 1995. 1. 17. the city hall was half collapsed and had to be rebuilt. In that occasion the garden was redesigned as well and the trees were transplanted from backyard to the front of the hall.



This season it is late in blooming because of lingering coldness.


In fact the cold pierced me to the bone on that day.


one month ago, on a rainy day in a vicinity of my house

Despite of it I could find a few trees that already had some flowers.


ポップコーンがはじけるやうに白梅の花すこし増ゆ今日も曇り日 石川不二子


Like popcorn splitting open

White Ume blossoms

have increased little by little,

on continuous cloudy days  

Fujiko Ishikawa(1933~)


I had written some tanka whimsically until I read the ones by Fujiko, which made me decide to write tanka regularly and attend some study groups. I was 38 years old at that time----more than 20 yeas ago.


Her tanka were never loud but sounded so attractive for me that I felt faint fragrance of
natural aroma that was even sensual for me.

When I feel difficulties about going on writing tanka, I open her book for reviewing my starting point.




Feb. 19th, another garden, this one close to my house, was opened to the public for the viewing of Ume blossoms.


There were fewer flowers here in the garden in Nara than in there in Hyogo, because of the lower temperature.
Almost all the buds were tightly closed.

However, I found a few blossoms among swelling of buds fortunately and it made me very happy.






This path leads to a small museum called Yamato Bunka-kan,
and from the back yard visitors can see a pond which was made as a dam, more than 1,000 yeas ago.






唇(くち)閉ぢて「むめ」と呼ばへばまだ固き梅のつぼみのはにかむごとし 栗木京子

The tightly closed bud of Ume

seems to get shy

When I pucker my lips

and call it
by its ancient name of "Mume"

   Kyoko Kuriki (1954~)


While I gazed on the pond, I imagined the old days when people called plum (Japanese apricot)blossom "Mume" instead of "Ume" as they do now, something I had not known until I read Kuriki's tanka.




After one month later. Through a window of the city hall.

17 件のコメント:

cosmos さんのコメント...

ほんとに今年の梅は開花が遅れていますね。
昨日ウォーキングを兼ねて梅の名所の菅原神社まで行ってきました。盆梅展と書いてあったので。でもまだ固い蕾でした。咲きだしたら是非もう一度訪ねたいと思います。おんだ祭りのリハーサルをしておられました。

梅をムメというのは津田梅子さんの事を書いた時知りました。由来があるのでしょうね。
開花が遅れると実の収穫はいいのだとか。どこかできちんと帳尻があうようになっているのですね。

sarah さんのコメント...

Indeed, the white Ume looks like the popcorn.
I didn't know that there is a pond in back of the Yamato Bunkakan. I will visit there.
While I was watching your nice Umes
I felt sweet perfume, so spring will come soon.

Dave King さんのコメント...

Beautiful images, everyone a winner!

Celeste さんのコメント...

Salut Haricot,

Ces fleurs même entre-ouvertes sont magnifiques.....en voyant vos belles photos on se promène sur ses allées avec ces rampes en bambou....je vous souhaite des moments de bonheur dans ces si beaux endroits.
Amitiés.Celeste

In My Wild Eden さんのコメント...

Your pictures make me so excited for spring to come here also. We are getting close but we are not as far along as you. I love your photos. The colors of the buds and flowers are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your spring with us!

Jen さんのコメント...

I wish that I could visit one of your Tanka meetings (and that I spoke Japanese). Beautiful pictures--the blossoms make me want to paint.

stardust さんのコメント...

寒い冬が長引き開花がずいぶん遅れている中、我が家の盆栽の梅もポップコーンがはじけるように一輪咲きました。 まだ固い蕾、膨らんだ蕾、どれも可愛く、寒さの中に咲いてくれている花は凛と美しく清楚です。大和文華館の梅は紅筆で描いたように繊細で美しかった記憶があります。紅梅は豪華ですね。今年は散歩も兼ねて行ってみよと思います。

Tomoko さんのコメント...
このコメントは投稿者によって削除されました。
Tomoko さんのコメント...

我が家の庭の梅の蕾はまだ固く、我慢強く春の訪れを待っている様子です。小さな梅の実ですが、毎年2キロほど収穫出来ますので、梅酒を作ります。

昨年大和文華館の梅をポストしましたが、色とりどりの華やかな梅の花が咲き乱れ、良いタイミングにで楽しむことが出来ました。春はすぐそこに来てますね!

Tomoko

erleichda さんのコメント...

It is true, to me, that watching soemething growing, out there in nature, strengthens your believe in life...
Thank you for bringiing these beautiful gardens into my Norwegian winter : )

Jenny Woolf さんのコメント...

I love the idea of buds like popcorn, not only because they look like it, but because if you see film of buds coming out, they do actually burst open like popcorn (except very slowly, like plants do). It is not a gradual opening but a sudden one as they realise Spring really is here.

Lovely photographs, too.

haricot さんのコメント...

Dear Friends, sorry for writing my recomments.

cosmos

去年 追分梅林まで歩かれた際、ブログを書いておられたのを憶えていますが、今年は何を改造するのか、高い囲いをしていて梅見ができません。また歩いていかれるようだとと思って。
コメントありがとうございます。

sarah

In spite of the coldness many people visited the garden of yakato bunaka-kan. I suppose that many buds are loosing little by little.
Thank you for your visit and reading my bog.

Dave

thank you very much for reading my blog and for your comment on the pictures.

Celeste

Merci beaucoup.
Oui, on se promene ensenble doit etre tres agreable.
Bon week a vous.

In my Wild Eden

Thank you for your warm comment as usal.
I know that you like nature a lot, and spring will bring us brighter sunshine.

Jen

If we could atted some tanka meeting it would be very interesting. Thank you for your inspireing comment as usal.

stardust
Red Rose

お二人とも庭の梅の花を満喫される日も間近ですね。うちにも八重咲きの梅がありますが、開花は遅いです。
いつも丁寧に読んでコメントしていただいて嬉しく思っています。

demie

Thank you for your kind comment.
I hope that spring will come sooner to our both countries.

Jenny

It's interesting observation on the blooming of Ume blossoms.
I agree with how they bloom.

ruma さんのコメント...

Hello, haricot.

  Awe inspiring your works...
  It lets me feel warmth with the humanity.

  Thank you for your usual visit and heart.
  The prayer for all peace.

haricot さんのコメント...

ruma

Thank you for your heartful comment on this post.
Have a nice week.

GABRIELA さんのコメント...

I believe that ume in buds are more inspiring than the blooms, though both are so touching. Poets and painters do them both and we're in awe of what these little things can do to our souls..
Spring is late this year...I believe Nature is still ashamed (after last year's disaster)...it caused us so much suffering...

haricot さんのコメント...

GABRIELA
Thank you for your visit.
Yes, it's still quite chilly here, too. To find these tiny hint of spring makes us happy.

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