I Like __ A Lot
I like Miyazawa Kenji a lot.
Miyazawa Kenji began existence in 1896 and stopped existing in 1933. He wrote chldren’s stories and poetry. I am not going to elaborate why I like him or why I think you should read him.
This is a favorite poem from Miyazawa:
Strong in the Wind
Strong in the rain
Strong in the wind
Strong against the summer heat and snow
He is healthy and robust
Unselfish
He never loses his temper
Nor the quiet smile on his lips
He eats four go of unpolished rice
Miso and a few vegetables a day
He does not consider himself
In whatever occurs…his understanding
Comes from observation and experience
And he never loses sight of things
He lives in a little thatched-roof hut
In a field in the shadows of a pine tree grove
If there is a sick child in the east
He goes there to nurse the child
If there’s a tired mother in the west
He goes to her and carries her sheaves
If someone is near death in the south
He goes and says, “Don’t be afraid”
If there’s strife and lawsuits in the north
He demands that the people put an end to their pettiness
He weeps at the time of drought
He plods about at a loss during the cold summer
Everyone calls him “Blockhead”
No one sings his praises
Or takes him to heart…That is the sort of person
I want to be
i like this a lot. his stuff is hard to get. after reading this i searched him on our distributor’s system. his children’s stories are all going out of print, so i ordered one of their three remaining copies of RESTAURANT OF MANY ORDERS for my 5 month old… he can grow into it.
i like this a lot. his stuff is hard to get. after reading this i searched him on our distributor’s system. his children’s stories are all going out of print, so i ordered one of their three remaining copies of RESTAURANT OF MANY ORDERS for my 5 month old… he can grow into it.
Jereme- I love your wierd depth of Japanese poetry. Damn. Have you Kenzaburo Oe (sp?). I’ve only read his fiction. I also only remember “Woman in the Dunes’ cause I obsessed about it. You are BADASS.
Many thanks.
Many thanks.
ryan,
you are an awesome dad.
pr,
no i have not read him. i just read his bio and he seems interesting. i will check him out.
jw,
thank you.
ryan,
you are an awesome dad.
pr,
no i have not read him. i just read his bio and he seems interesting. i will check him out.
jw,
thank you.
‘He weeps at the time of drought’
I like this a lot. Doesn’t feel like it was written almost a century ago. Is it reasonable to expect more flowery language for that era?
‘He weeps at the time of drought’
I like this a lot. Doesn’t feel like it was written almost a century ago. Is it reasonable to expect more flowery language for that era?
jereme,
i am working on it.
jereme,
i am working on it.
Very nice, Jereme! I’m always interested in reading children’s books from other countries and this is definitely the type of literature I want to expose to my son.
Ryan,
Super-parents high-five!
Very nice, Jereme! I’m always interested in reading children’s books from other countries and this is definitely the type of literature I want to expose to my son.
Ryan,
Super-parents high-five!
alicia,
i complied and practically slapped the computer screen here at work back to the stone age. woop woop.
man, i’m in an odd mood today
alicia,
i complied and practically slapped the computer screen here at work back to the stone age. woop woop.
man, i’m in an odd mood today