"In the underground bunker, paper planes and children's spring." This
is a poem written by a young woman in the underground bunker she was evacuated to in Ukraine, where fighting continues.
A prayer for peace entrusted to a short phrase of 5-7-5 while attacks continue.
It is now being delivered to Japan.
(Kyoto Broadcasting Station reporter Megumi Ebitsuka)
Haiku from around the world at a shrine in Kyoto
Last November, 180 haiku were exhibited at Nashiki Shrine in Kyoto.
The haiku written in English, French, and other languages sent from 40 countries around the world contain a message of peace.
The impetus for the exhibition was Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
The haiku poet Madoka Mayuzumi, who planned the exhibition, entrusted the exhibition with a wish for peace.
Madoka Mayuzumi
: “Haiku is the shortest piece of literature in the world.
Haiku from Ukraine
In this exhibition, there is a person who sent a haiku from Ukraine, where the fighting is still going on.
My name is Vladislava Simonova (23).
At the age of 14, when he was hospitalized due to illness, he came across a book written about haiku by Edo period haiku poets Matsuo Basho and Yosa Buson.
Ms. Vladislava was deeply moved by the complex thoughts and scenes that were included in his short poem.
Since that day, he has been composing haiku for about ten years.
However, in February last year, when I was 22, Russia launched a military invasion.
At the time, Vladislava lived in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border.
At 4 a.m., he is awakened by the sound of bombs and immediately takes refuge in a bunker with his parents and dog.
From there, life underground began.
Vladislava: "At first, we didn't have enough food, and we didn't even have enough space
to
lie down and sleep. The bunker was full of people, and everyone was terrified.
A life where we stand shoulder to shoulder and protect ourselves.
Vladislava said that she was moved by the sight of the children playing innocently.
I wrote a phrase about that scene.
"Paper airplanes and children's spring in the bunker"
Ms. Vladislava:
“To me, writing haiku is like writing a diary. When my life shifts to an underground bunker, writing haiku will allow me to accept the memories and emotions of the war in my own way. I thought that by composing these days as a haiku, I could later share it with people around the world.”
What is "HAIKU"?
Haiku poems from all over the world, including Vladislava, were sent to Nashinoki Shrine.
What is this foreign haiku like?
Haiku is also represented by "HAIKU" in the alphabet.
As the haiku of Basho Matsuo and Issa Kobayashi were translated into foreign languages, it gradually spread.
The biggest difference is that the 5-7-5 rhythm is represented by "syllables".
For example, the haiku written by Mr. Vladislava.
In English,
``Children
are playing
Flying
their paper airplanes
In the bomb shelter. '
' Chil/dren/are/play/ing (5)
Fly/ing / their / pa / per / air / planes (
7) In / the / bomb / shel / ter
. Some people say that it doesn't have to be -7-5 as long as it rhymes in a similar form.
In Ukraine, there is a school that teaches haiku to children, and the number of fans is increasing all over the world.
Thoughts in Haiku
The language of the phrase that Vladislava sent to Japan is not Ukrainian.
Russian.
In Kharkiv, where she grew up, Russian was once more widely spoken, and Vladislava has also used it.
Today, Russian can be called an “enemy language” in Ukraine.
Vladislava also changed her language to Ukrainian.
However, to learn haiku, all the books Vladislava saw were translated into Russian.
Ms. Vladislava says that she composed a haiku in Russian about her life and feelings under the military invasion, with mixed feelings.
Vladislava had a dream.
My wish is to create my own collection of haiku.
I sent Mayuzumi-san with her haiku by her email with this thought in mind.
make a collection of haiku in japan
Mayuzumi received an email from Vladislava in faraway Japan.
She says that her thoughts touched her so much that she decided to create a collection of Vladislava's haiku.
Mayuzumi
: It's her mission to convey the tragedy of this war to people around the world through her haiku. I
started working on Vladislava's haiku collection in August, about six months after the military invasion.
Along with Mayuzumi, people who have been familiar with haiku for a long time participated and worked on it.
First, we directly translated the Russian phrase sent by Ms. Vladislava into Japanese.
From there, I will prepare the final phrase based on several Japanese phrases.
On this day, we discussed a haiku that expresses a scene in which a battle begins and people are dispersed and leave the country.
Opinions were divided among the participating members as to which expression was appropriate.
"The word hanafubuki conveys the people who are going apart.
"
Mayuzumi also went back to the expression of Vladislava's original haiku while thinking about it, and chose the latter haiku.
Mayuzumi
: "The cherry blossoms are blooming so beautifully, but it expresses the sadness of being separated from someone close to you without even seeing it.
" So, I used the continuation "yu" and summarized it as "nariyukiri".
"Sakura Sakura Separation and Her Becoming"
Haiku meeting online
I would like to share with the Ukrainian people a phrase that expresses my thoughts on peace.
In February, one year after the military invasion, Mayuzumi organized an online haiku gathering.
She was Ms. Vladislava, who is in Ukraine, and Ukrainians who came from Kyoto and Germany to evacuate.
The theme is "waiting for spring".
The Ukrainian people wrote a long-awaited poem about spring, which they feel has been lost due to the military invasion.
"Garlic sprouts in the dark"
Ms. Vladislava wrote about the sprouts of garlic that she found by chance in a kitchen drawer, and how she never loses hope even in a difficult situation.
A phrase that captures the moment when you find a life that shines in the dark.
Mayuzumi also praised him.
Some Ukrainians, including Ms. Vladislava, participated in the haiku gathering for the first time.
At the end of the haiku gathering, Mayuzumi called out.
Mayuzumi
: It is said that the ties that are connected through haiku, or ``hai ties,'' are stronger than blood ties. I also believe that they will come.I believe and pray that one day we will be able to hold a real haiku gathering under real cherry blossoms.”
Put your thoughts on peace in a short expression
Vladislava's haiku collection aims to be completed this summer.
Mayuzumi believes in the power of her haiku, especially now that the fighting continues, and she wants to convey her thoughts for peace to the world.
Madoka Mayuzumi:
“Even in the tragedy of war, even in underground bunkers, Ms. Vladislava finds beauty and hope in her poetry. I think it's the dignity left behind by a girl.I want to cherish that dignity and create a collection of haiku with respect.
" continue.
A battle that is still going on.
It is said that the days of blackouts continue, and life is far from what it used to be.
Still, he wants to continue writing haiku and is looking forward.
Vladislava Simonova
: “I dream of the day when I can return to my hometown, find a job, and return to a normal, peaceful life.