Part 14

—“Old temple: bell voiceless; cherry-flowers fall.”

MORNING AWAKENING AFTER A NIGHT’S REST IN A TEMPLE

Yamadera no Shichō akéyuku: Taki no oto.

—“In the mountain-temple the paper mosquito-curtain is lighted by the dawn: sound of water-fall.”

WINTER-SCENE

Yuki no mura; Niwatori naité; Aké shiroshi.

“Snow-village;—cocks crowing;—white dawn.”

Let me conclude this gossip on poetry by citing from another group of verses—also pictorial, in a certain sense, but chiefly remarkable for ingenuity—two curiosities of impromptu. The first is old, and is attributed to the famous poetess Chiyo. Having been challenged to make a poem of seventeen syllables referring to a square, a triangle, and a circle, she is said to have immediately responded,—

Kaya no té wo Hitotsu hazushité, Tsuki-mi kana!

—“Detaching one corner of the mosquito-net, lo! I behold the moon!” The top of the mosquito-net, suspended by cords at each of its four corners, represents the square;—letting down the net at one corner converts the square into a triangle;—and the moon represents the circle.

The other curiosity is a recent impromptu effort to portray, in one verse of seventeen syllables, the last degree of devil-may-care-poverty,—perhaps the brave misery of the wandering student;—and I very much doubt whether the effort could be improved upon:—

Nusundaru Kagashi no kasa ni Amé kyū nari.

—“Heavily pours the rain on the hat that I stole from the scarecrow!”

Japanese Buddhist Proverbs

As representing that general quality of moral experience which remains almost unaffected by social modifications of any sort, the proverbial sayings of a people must always possess a special psychological interest for thinkers. In this kind of folklore the oral and the written literature of Japan is rich to a degree that would require a large book to exemplify. To the subject as a whole no justice could be done within the limits of a single essay. But for certain classes of proverbs and proverbial phrases something can be done within even a few pages; and sayings related to Buddhism, either by allusion or derivation, form a class which seems to me particularly worthy of study. Accordingly, with the help of a Japanese friend, I have selected and translated the following series of examples,—choosing the more simple and familiar where choice was possible, and placing the originals in alphabetical order to facilitate reference. Of course the selection is imperfectly representative; but it will serve to illustrate certain effects of Buddhist teaching upon popular thought and speech.

1.—Akuji mi ni tomaru. All evil done clings to the body.

The consequence of any evil act or thought never,—so long as karma endures,—will cease to act upon the existence of the person guilty of it.

2.—Atama soru yori kokoro wo soré. Better to shave the heart than to shave the head.

Buddhist nuns and priests have their heads completely shaven. The proverb signifies that it is better to correct the heart,—to conquer all vain regrets and desires,—than to become a religious. In common parlance the phrase “to shave the head” means to become a monk or a nun.

3.—Au wa wakaré no hajimé. Meeting is only the beginning of separation.

Regret and desire are equally vain in this world of impermanency; for all joy is the beginning of an experience that must have its pain. This proverb refers directly to the sutra-text,—Shōja hitsumetsu é-sha-jori,—” All that live must surely die; and all that meet will surely part.”

4.—Banji wa yumé. All things are merely dreams.

Literally, “ten thousand things.”

5.—Bonbu mo satoréba hotoké nari. Even a common man by obtaining knowledge becomes a Buddha.

The only real differences of condition are differences in knowledge of the highest truth.

6.—Bonnō kunō. All lust is grief.

All sensual desire invariably brings sorrow.

7—Buppō to wara-ya no amé, dété kiké. One must go outside to hear Buddhist doctrine or the sound of rain on a straw roof.