This piece is dedicated to the victims of the 2011
tsunami, and to their surviving relatives. The text is
5 short tanka poems from the 13th-century ?Ogura
Hyakunin Isshu?. The first two poems were selected
because they serve as metaphors for the disaster,
and the last three poems were selected because they
serve as metaphors for the summer Obon festival
observances that may provide a measure of healing for
some. English translations (based on those of Clay
MacCauley, 1917) are provided, <...(+)
This piece is dedicated to the victims of the 2011
tsunami, and to their surviving relatives. The text is
5 short tanka poems from the 13th-century ?Ogura
Hyakunin Isshu?. The first two poems were selected
because they serve as metaphors for the disaster,
and the last three poems were selected because they
serve as metaphors for the summer Obon festival
observances that may provide a measure of healing for
some. English translations (based on those of Clay
MacCauley, 1917) are provided,
and the piece may be sung in either Japanese or
English. (Currently, the Japanese is represented by
western Romaji characters.)