Flowering around now
gekka bijin aruji tadaima nyūinchū
your master is just now
in the hospital
—Horiuchi Ichiro
I couldn't find any background info for this haiku. Hopefully his hospital stay was a short one, which gave at least one good thing—this haiku.
Queen of the Night is also called Dutchman's Pipe Cactus and Princess of the Night. So named because it only blooms at night and withers before dawn. It's a lovely flower!
It is a season word for late summer, which according to the Japanese almanac, we just entered. It is considered the hottest part of the season. The most popular food for getting through this hot time is eel, which is thought to give us the energy required to survive the dog days.
Looking at beautiful flowers like the queen of the night might help too!
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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can. ↩
Love how there's a whole story in those three tiny lines.
Queen of the night, still blossom with radiance like ever.