The Only Sound :: Haiku of Japan #53
白椿落つる音のみ月夜かな
shirotsubaki otsuru oto nomi tsukiyo kana
white camellias
their falling is the only sound
this moonlit eve
—Ranko
(Tr. David LaSpina)
("Camellia" by Murayama Koka)
Once you observe some camellias fall and recognize the sound they make, it becomes an unmistakable sound that you are unlikely to miss the next time you hear it. Plop, plop, plop. It is repeated again and again, irregularly, and becomes almost a meditative sound, like the the ring of a singing bowl, that pulls you into the moment and makes you fully aware of the now.
This awareness of the present moment, usually translated as mindfulness in English, is an important concept in Buddhism, and that has worked it's way into the general Japanese aesthetic.
(note: We don't have a lot of onomatopoeia in English, do we? I don't think "plop" is really s good choice here. Plop has the suggestion of falling into water, I think. Do we have any other onomatopoeia for a soft but audible sound of a small object hitting the ground? Kind of like "thud" but not so big. A soft thud.)
Don't miss other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!
#1–10 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #1
#11–20 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #2
#21–30 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #3
#31—40 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #4
#41 — Falling Camellia
#42 — Snow Falling
#43 — Morning Glory Shack
#44 — My Father's Face
#45 — Dragonfly Hunter
#46 — Fallen Butterfly
#47 — Fading Dreams of Ancient Warriors
#48 — Battleground Pear Tree
#49 — Showing My Hidden Side
#50 — Ambitious Snail
#51 — Dewdrop World
#52 — A Fleeting Life
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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |
The sounds comes as you read this haiku. Thanks for the share!
Oh, I have never seen camilla, let alone have the chance to hear its falling sound. However, I once read an essay named "the sound of falling flowers" from somewhere before, the author especially mentions that she is appalled by the falling camellia. As usual, the flowers fall down slowly, petal by petal. However, camellias fall hastily, I can imagine the sound of the whole and huge camellia flower falling!
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful camellia haiku so much. Your wonderful blogs make me to learn and fall in love with Japanese haiku.
They do indeed. The entire flower falls at once, which is what gives it enough weight to make a soft thud when it hits the ground. It reminded the old Japanese of the head from a beheaded samurai hitting the ground, a meaning that shows up in many haiku. haha so I can somewhat understand that author's horror at the flower.
I'm glad to hear you are enjoying these haiku posts. Thank you for reading :)
Haha, @dbooster maybe you should make up a new English word for the sound!
I'll have to think about that. Japanese has thousands of onomatopoeia... English needs more! "puh" would kind of describe the sound, when said quickly and lightly. Hmm...
What is the japanese onomatopoeia for the sound?
There are a lot of choices. I might choose gasa. "Ga-sa" can be for something falling by crumbling. The ga is the slight rustle as whatever dislodges then the sa is the impact.
The sound of silence is "jiiii" so we might paint the scene. "jiiiii" "ga-sa"