Poetic-Verses from ATHANASE
Haibun (English)
We were sitting beneath the hornbeam, You, my prince, and I, your humble scribe, confidant and friend. You were telling me about your lover, a beauty to whom you had given the name 'breath of light in the peach blossom'. My hand trembled and I wetted my little rosewood writing desk with tears as I wrote down your wonderful description of your lover, I who knew, my dear Prince, that she was only the sweet fantasy of a gentle mind long lost in madness. Then, O my Prince, an understanding came upon me of the whole tragedy of your being, and I wrote these few lines. When they were complete, blossom fell onto the page and hid your name, O my Prince, with its dying splendour:
Caress, O peach blossom,
caress the young downy cheek of my Prince,
wipe away with your silkiness the innocent tears
that burn his long velvet lashes!
translated from the French of Athanase Vantchev de Thracy by Norton Hodges
04.10.05.
Notes:
Haibun: the haibun is a combination of brief prose and haiku, written in the form of a travelogue. Matsuo Munefusa (1644-1694), known as Basho (banana-tree), a Japanese monk and haiku poet, was the originator of this particular form. He wrote several haibun as a travel account during his various journeys.
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Haibun (English)
Haibun (English)
