Poetic-Verses from ATHANASE
Floral Offering
Like Ono-no-Imoko, the ambassador
who became the Buddhist priest Senmu, I will arrange for you,
O tactful God of silence, this floral offering !
Take from my hand these three flowers,
this trinitary sign of my heartfelt emotions :
one on high, two below !
Accept this modest telebana, this vertical bouquet,
gentle God of silence.
Instead of Confucian exuberance,
O my God of taciturn tears, I know you prefer
the discretion of these fresh country flowers,
which my soul, in love with sincerity,
comes to lay at your feet.
O my God, spare me
from lies and hurtful quarrels,
from ages's bruises, setbacks, absurdities,
from the weaknesses and renunciations that lie in wait
for me as I walk towards evening !
No, O my pure God,
I don't want to suffer the demetia
of Lord Hideyoshi,
whose love of flowers became a mania !
Save me from his overblown extravagances,
his grandiloquent systems and codes !
Like you, God of the deep waters,
I like the refinement of
extreme transparency,
the pastoral elegance of the fields,
the tactful courtesy of nobility,
beauty in its purest,
most essential expression !
For to you, God of equanimity,
belongs eternal happiness,
and time suspended,
time that never ends !
Translated from the French by Norton Hodges
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Floral Offering
Floral Offering