Saturday, September 01, 2007
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Death Poem
Well, I tried to use all the Japanese knowledge I have (which is not much) to locate this jisei no ku that I need for my dissertation. Here it is:
徳川家康 75歳 1616
嬉しやと 二度さめて 一眠り うき世の夢は 暁の空
Source: http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~kazu310/jisei3.htm
And this is my humble attempt at translating it. Many dictionaries were used,
both real dictionary, electronic dictionary and online dictionary. But, mind you,
I'm just a novice student of Japanese language. So, there could be many mistakes.
I just go with my guts feeling and my understanding of Dhamma and my
familiarity of other warrior's death poem, that's all!
both real dictionary, electronic dictionary and online dictionary. But, mind you,
I'm just a novice student of Japanese language. So, there could be many mistakes.
I just go with my guts feeling and my understanding of Dhamma and my
familiarity of other warrior's death poem, that's all!
“Twice awakened, how pleasant it is.
A dream in the world of impermanence is like a dawning sky.”
A dream in the world of impermanence is like a dawning sky.”
That reminds me that I haven't composed my death poem yet!
But I sort of like what I used to read from one warrior, whose quote I must
track down one day. He said, "A death is a death. One should not make too much fuss
over it." I think he was referring to the over-emphasis on the death poem during Tokugawa Period where everything sort of went out of context and sometimes lost its original meaning.
I think he is right. But, well, I might try mine any way Wouldn't hurt, would it? Would serve as a good Morananussati for me everyday! At least until I could come up with the version that I like, provided that I don't die first!
But I sort of like what I used to read from one warrior, whose quote I must
track down one day. He said, "A death is a death. One should not make too much fuss
over it." I think he was referring to the over-emphasis on the death poem during Tokugawa Period where everything sort of went out of context and sometimes lost its original meaning.
I think he is right. But, well, I might try mine any way Wouldn't hurt, would it? Would serve as a good Morananussati for me everyday! At least until I could come up with the version that I like, provided that I don't die first!
