水鏡八月六日夢も見ず 中山純子
mizu-kagami hachigatsu muika yume mo mizu
mirrored water
no dream
on August Six
Junko Nakayama
from “Haiku Shiki” (“Haiku Four Seasons,” a monthly haiku magazine) , September 2010 Issue, Tokyo Shiki Shuppan, Tokyo
水鏡八月六日夢も見ず 中山純子
mizu-kagami hachigatsu muika yume mo mizu
mirrored water
no dream
on August Six
Junko Nakayama
from “Haiku Shiki” (“Haiku Four Seasons,” a monthly haiku magazine) , September 2010 Issue, Tokyo Shiki Shuppan, Tokyo
This is very evocative and open-ended. On the anniversary of the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima, has Nakayama Junko finally found some peace by having a dreamless night? “Without dreaming” implies that she has been dreaming on previous anniversaries. Perhaps she finally has reached a state of “no mind” (mushin), at least concerning the event that has troubled her for so long. Presumably the water is so still and clear that she sees herself and realizes that she is finally free. On the other hand, could she be feeling guilt that she doesn’t even have a dream on the anniversary of the bombing?
Richard,
Your comments were excellent. I now enjoy the original haiku much better.
Sully