Haiku and Pictograph in EL, "on the lingam" by Geert Verbeke - March 2009 -


. . . .
This is an EL (Earth Language) experimental page to enjoy
the image of a haiku/short poem originally in English/Japanese.
When you can't see the Japanese parts, please don't mind and just skip those parts, or see here to view Japanese.
地球語の文字や文字絵を用いて詩的表現や翻訳を試みる実験のページです。

Geert Verbeke (born  in Flanders-Belgium; the haiku author of last month's version) sent me his thoughtful haiku introduction book "HERMIT." Stimulated by that, I wrote my opinion about the background of original haiku and global haiku; and I'd like to share it with you. 

Geert Verbeke's haiku continues this month, with the one (in "Ada" P.39) sent by e-mail, because of this interesting subject. Lingam in this haiku is a penis-shaped statue in Hindu culture. He saw a big stone lingam In Kathmandu in Nepal, He wrote to me. What do you feel with this haiku? Shocking? Ms. Melanie McLay (Millikin University, Global Haiku, Spring 2006) classified this haiku into [witty and raunchy]. I felt a big gap between traditional eastern and western cultures here. Penis-shaped statues had stood in any villages in Japan too. But after western  civilization came there, Japanese people felt ashamed to see/show them and hid or got rid of most of them. In the ancient world, these statues were respected and worshiped as a symbol of the source of human lives and living energy probably worldwide. But while developing religious systems and civilizations, the primitive culture was distorted and the statues have been regarded as obscene. But actually which is healthier? Maybe by being twisted and wrenched down, sometimes the wildness comes out even in a more violent way. I felt that this haiku was brisk, imagining Geert Verbeke's ears receiving celestial songs of deep roots of lives. To the haiku

Geert Verbeke's websites:
GEERT VERBEKE's WEB HOME PAGE / BLOG REIZEN - JOURNEYS /
BLOG SCHRIJVEN - WRITING

先月号のGeert Verbekeさんからお贈りいただいた英語のハイク論『HERMIT』に刺激されて、hooも俳句を生み出した日本の土壌や今後のグローバル・ハイクについてこのコーナーをやりながら考えていたことを書いてみました。ご覧ください

異例ですが今月も引き続いてVerbekeさんがメールで送ってくださった句(『Ada』 p.38)の中から採りあげます。この俳句にあるリンガとは、ヒンドゥ教シバ神の象徴といわれる男根の彫像のことです。彼はこの大きな像をネパールのカトマンズでご覧になったそうです。Millikin大学のMelanie McLayさんの評は、この句を「機知と下品さ」に分類しておられますが、あなたはこのちょっとショッキングかもしれない句をどう捉えますか?男根像は、日本でも明治維新より前にはいたるところに立っていたそうですが、西洋文明の到来後、原始的なしきたりを恥じてほとんどが祠の隅に隠されたり処分されました。大昔には命を生み出し生きるエネルギーを産む源の象徴としてたぶん世界中で祀られていましたが、組織宗教や文明の発達によって自然むき出しの男根像は野卑とされ、尊敬の対象どころか人前に出られなくなりました。でも、どちらが健康的でしょう?ねじ曲げられたゆえに鬱屈した野生がよりひどい形で社会を荒らしているのかもしれません。私は、Verbekeさんの素直な耳に天からの雨が奏でる命の根源の歌が届いたすがすがしい句と感じました。


The English verse by Geert Verbeke
on the lingam
rain composes
hymns 


The Japanese translation
リンガ上 天の歌を雨は奏でる

The EL translation

The symbols in the pictograph
: rain (雨), : life/lives (命), : original direction (源), : light (光)

The symbols in the EL translation
{ preposition mark, upper}: on/above (上)
{ torso, projection}: penis (男根)
{ shaped, thing}: an object/statue (立体像)
: the indicator of the subject of a sentence, when the subject is not on the head.
(文頭にない主語を示す記号)
{ nature, water}: rain (雨)
: verb-mark to form a verb meaning that the subject becomes in the condition shown by the following character/phrase; or the subject does the following action. (動詞を構成する記号)
{ sound, performance}: playing music (演奏)
: the indicator to show that the following character or phrase is an accusative case of a d-verb (~を)
{ above, nature)}: celestial, heavenly (天)
{ vocal language, open-entertain}: song with words (歌)

by hoo

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