It’s around this time in Japan when obon festivals occur – the day on which this post is being published is when they will end this year. People visit the graves of their ancestors, and the deceased members’ spirits visit their living descendants. It’s a family reunion between the living and dead, much like Día de los Muertos. Festivities end with a bon odori dance accompanied by a local ondo song and fire.
This week’s poem was also inspired by the Tokyo Olympics. I was torn between translating hirameku into “flutter” or “glitter,” but the former seems to resonate more not only with the motion of the athletes but the emotions of them, spectators, and homebound viewers.
The jasmine motif came from a correspondent’s request. In hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, the flower represents amiability.
Matsuri, or a Festival with Arabian Jasmine
祭りでは
茉莉の香り
閃くと
＊＊＊
Matsuri de wa
Matsuri no kaori
Hirameku to
＊＊＊
At the festival,
we flutter with the scent of
Jasminum sambac
＊＊＊
Dearest Reverie 