The other day, walking along a Tokyo street, I noticed that a plum tree had started to bloom. While my mind was being deeply shrouded in the winter atmosphere, nature had already begun the preparation for the rejuvenation in the great cycle of life.
Until several years ago, I used to live near a very large park. It was my custom to go for a jogging there. It took about 15 minutes to go around the park. At one corner, there were tens of plum trees. In the cold weather of January, these trees started to bloom, and gave comfort to the lonely soul which was making physical effort, to no practical avail apart from good health.
Near the plum trees, I sometimes witnessed an old man, with a bicycle on his side. He used to practice singing, with a bottle in his hand. Occasionally, he would drink from the bottle, and go gurgling, apparently in an effort to refresh and enliven his throat.
As I was always running past, I could only take a snapshot vision of this gentleman of this intriguing behavior. When I chanced upon him, I considered it as a bonus.
I wonder if the gurgling gentleman is up and well these days.
As I was passing the plum tree the other day, all these memories came back to me in a flash.
The smell of a plum blossom seem to symbolize a distant past long forgotten.
3 comments:
The word "plum blossom" on your entry today and the word "moonbeam" on your twitter today reminds me of the following Waka poetry.
月夜にはそれとも見えず梅の花
香をたづねてぞ知るべかりける
（凡河内みつね『古今和歌集』）
Nobody can see the white plum blossom clearly
shrouded in the white moonlight-beam
Everybody should have fond it by reliance on the smell...
Oshikochino Mitsune
(from「Collection of Ancient and Modern Waka poetry」. His date is unknouwn. In the Heian period. forgive my clumsy translation please.)
After this winter season, I'd like to find a plum blossom...
P.S.
Thank you Anonymous-san. Yes, Dr.Mogi's word "float on a wave" is significant to us in this era, definitely.
I have personally always tended to prefer plum blossoms over cherry blossoms. For me, cherry blossoms represent the beauty which the Japanese have always wished to consider themselves to possess, something rather artificial and overdecorated. Plum blossoms on the other hand represent the beauty of what the Japanese have always truly possessed, something less flamboyant but more real. Used to be real, rather.
SK
Dear:Mr.Mogi
Recently I went to the lecture which is about nature and healing. I realized that I very need it inside of me. The existence was totally deep,beautiful,strong,cool, crisp and charming.
I take a deep breath and run in the air, in my bottom of soul. I decided to run into nature again.
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