Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!
—Basho†
This was taken at the beginning of March; the cherry blossoms (which are what Basho was refering to) hadn't yet bloomed, but the plum blossoms had come and gone, leaving their fragrant scent in the air, so this haiku still works for me.
Rather than temple bells, however, whenever I see a scene like this I want to hear a sax playing something smooth. Perhaps like this song:
Footnotes
†: Translation by Daniel Buchanan. I might do it differently, but I have to have time to think about such things to do it properly, and I haven't had that lately. I will be sure to give my thoughts on this one, however, when I resume my Haiku of Japan series. In the meantime, here is the original if you want to try your hand at it: 鐘きえて花のはつく夕べかな
| Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series! |
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Recent Photos
- 61 — Waiting For a Wish
- 62 — Some Red in an Otherwise Gloomy Winter Day
- 63 — Sakura Jogging Path
- 64 — Purple Glow of the Flowers
- 65 — Once Upon a Time in the East
- 66 — The Autumn Goddess
- 67 — Sake Helps Him Meditate
- 68 – Land of Old and New
- 69 — Would You Like Some Tea?
- 70 — Gently Down the Stream
- 71 — Shrine of the War God
- 72 — Shooting the Cherry Blossoms
- 73 — Stand Out Sakura
- 74 — Just Dropping In
- 75 — Red, White, and Pink
- 76 — The Star of Spring
Collections
- Collection 1 :: Beautiful Japan 1–10
- Collection 2 :: Beautiful Japan 11–20
- Collection 3 :: Beautiful Japan 21–30
- Collection 4 :: Beautiful Japan 31–40
- Collection 5 :: Beautiful Japan 41–50
- Collection 6 :: Beautiful Japan 51–60
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |