Just as this haiku says the clouds in the fall sky are often attractive when flowing away and transforming.
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この句にあるように、秋の空にある雲は、流れていったり形が変わっていったりするのが面白くて心が惹かれるものです。
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Autumn begins/
Interesting is how the clouds/
Move and change shapes/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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“Sometimes a massive rainfall occurs” is the seasonal phrase for this week or so. We have heavy rainfalls at times for sure around this time of year. However, the scale of “heavy” seems to have changed comparing when I was growing up.
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「大雨時行」。この時期の七十二候の名称がこれです。ときどき大雨が降るということのようで、確かにその通りですが、大雨の規模が昔とは違ってきている気がします。
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As it is so hot, I searched for words that will give you cool feelings and found this one. Apparently, it means the mountain stream water continues flowing in until the colorless water looks indigo. The phrase is supposed to produce a cool, refreshing note in this severe heat.
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暑くて仕方がないので、何かしら涼しげな言葉がないかしらと探しました。谷川の水が満ち満ちて、無色の水が藍のようだ、という意味で、この暑い時期に涼しい思いを届けようとするものらしいです。
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It is so hot that it is almost impossible to wonder when the happy times of life are or think of enjoying refreshing evening breeze. Because of this weather, however, I thought the haiku should be all the more pleasant to my feeling.
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とにかく、暑くて、暑くて、人生の幸福な時期も夕涼みもあまり考えられませんが、だからこそ、心持ちの良くなる句だと思いました。
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When are the happiest days in life/
Summer evening breeze/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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This is my gift to the Polish couple who were so kind to me and took very good care of me on the occasion of a calligraphy exhibition held in Poznan, Poland in November 2017. The left has “blessing” because I learned it was the meaning of the wife’s name. The right has a haiku, the husband’s favorite one by the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (松尾芭蕉). And here, I would like to add some remarks that I wrote the letter for autumn “秋” in an unusual manner, that is, putting the left part and the right part reversed, which is no mistake but another variation of the letter. I just like the letter this way. There is far more flexibility about the Chinese characters than people usually expect.
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2017年11月ポーランド国ポズナニ市開催の書展で大変お世話になったご夫妻にちなんだ言葉と芭蕉の句を書きました。左側は奥さまのお名前の意味の『祝福』です。松尾芭蕉の俳句の方は、ご主人のお好きなものと聞きました。そしてここでの『秋』の字は、偏と旁を反対の位置に置く形にしました。これは決して間違いではなく、この字にはこういう形もあるということで、私はこの字姿が好きです。漢字は、実は一般に思われているよりも自由度が高いのです。
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Since this is the first day of the month, I thought I would resume practicing with the old book of models my teacher gave me many years ago. What is amazing about this book is; any page makes one piece of art; and what is more, the whole book makes a beautiful art object.
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今日はお一日だし、また昔のお手本のお稽古に戻ろうと思いました。先生のお手本は、どのページを見てもそこだけで一つの見事な作品になるし、全体でも立派な作品として成立します。
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The seasonal phrase for these five days or so is this. It means “Earth gets wet; air gets hot and humid”. I have no objection at all.
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この1週間たらずの期間の七十二候の名称です。土が潤って蒸し暑い。その通りです。
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Many years ago, my teacher taught us, his students at his school about “intensive practice in summer”. In old times, diligent students of calligraphy had to practice even harder than usual in the hottest season. I remember thinking that I would not be happy about such hard lessons like rigorous training.
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随分以前のこと、稽古場で先生が「夏書」という古い言葉を教えてくださいました。昔は、夏にこそ集中的な厳しいお稽古をしたそうです。こんなに暑いときに、そんな修行的なお稽古は嫌だなあと思ったことを覚えています。
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Complete quietness around/
Missed one character/
Intensive calligraphy practice in summer/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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It may often happen that the clouds in the sky look like something to eat. I found this idea of covering the cloud in syrup very intriguing but not just eating it.
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空に浮かぶ雲が食べ物に見えるというのはよくあることかもしれません。この句ではただ食べるのではなくて、『シロップを掛ける』という想像が面白いと思いました。
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Bank of clouds/
I want to taste it/
After covering in syrup/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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If forgetting should be people’s gentleness, I may not be very gentle.
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忘れることが優しさだったら、私はあまり優しくないのかもしれないのです。
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O/
Gentleness called “to forget”/
Shaved ice/
Calligraphy and translation by Chio
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