【Theme for the New Year's Poetry Reading (2012) : KISHI (shore)】

『His Majesty the Emperor』
What was it like then
When the tsunami came to shore
I look down and wonder
Below me spreads the blue sea
Quiet and perfectly still.
Tsunami koshi
Toki no kishibe wa
Ikanarishi to
Miorosu umi wa
Aoku shizumaru
(Background of the poem)
On 6th May, 2011, Their Majesties visited Iwate Prefecture to console those afflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake, flying by helicopter from Kamaishi to Miyako. In this poem His Majesty describes his impressions of seeing from above the region devastated by the tsunami.

『Her Majesty the Empress』
To stand there and wait
For someone to come back home
Through the four seasons
So no "shore" do we find
In the haiku compendium.
Kaerikuru wo
Tachite materu ni
Toki no naku
Kishi tou moji wo
Saijiki ni mizu
(Background of the poem)
As there is no entry for the word "kishi" in Saijiki, a compendium of seasonal words for haiku, Her Majesty has given her thought to the people who stand on the shores of different places, regardless of the season, waiting for someone's return. In this poem, Her Majesty seems to be describing her feelings not only for the families of those who went missing in the tsunami of 11th March, but also for those who repatriated from overseas after World War II, those who were detained in detention camps in Siberia, and people in various situations, either waiting for someone's return or whose return is awaited by someone, using the motif "kishi."
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『His Majesty the Emperor』
What was it like then
When the tsunami came to shore
I look down and wonder
Below me spreads the blue sea
Quiet and perfectly still.
Tsunami koshi
Toki no kishibe wa
Ikanarishi to
Miorosu umi wa
Aoku shizumaru
(Background of the poem)
On 6th May, 2011, Their Majesties visited Iwate Prefecture to console those afflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake, flying by helicopter from Kamaishi to Miyako. In this poem His Majesty describes his impressions of seeing from above the region devastated by the tsunami.

『Her Majesty the Empress』
To stand there and wait
For someone to come back home
Through the four seasons
So no "shore" do we find
In the haiku compendium.
Kaerikuru wo
Tachite materu ni
Toki no naku
Kishi tou moji wo
Saijiki ni mizu
(Background of the poem)
As there is no entry for the word "kishi" in Saijiki, a compendium of seasonal words for haiku, Her Majesty has given her thought to the people who stand on the shores of different places, regardless of the season, waiting for someone's return. In this poem, Her Majesty seems to be describing her feelings not only for the families of those who went missing in the tsunami of 11th March, but also for those who repatriated from overseas after World War II, those who were detained in detention camps in Siberia, and people in various situations, either waiting for someone's return or whose return is awaited by someone, using the motif "kishi."
iPhoneからの投稿