some days
i wake
in the dream world.
bathe in the water
put on the clothes
drink the coffee
eat the food.
walk the white crystal path
through the dream world.
tsuchiya koitsu
suijin woods in the snow along the sumida river, tokyo
suijin woods in the snow along the sumida river, tokyo
in the middle of the night,
i suddenly rise,
draw water
from the deep well.
white dew
covers the woods;
morning stars
dot the clear sky.
jia dao
trans. mike o'connor
somedays i prefer the dream world...
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful, both words and pictures. I clicked on the image for a closer look, is that a gas works in the background?
ReplyDeleteI like this a lot and think it has more meaning than some things I have read recently. Of course I like the picture.
ReplyDeletehi steven - i think that the dream and real worlds shift and meld elements of each other. like an onion peeling away the layers, you'll find more of both the deeper you go. have a peaceful dreamy day. steven
ReplyDeletethanks acornmoon - i looked as well and it could be. it has the right shape . . . the print dates from 1934 so i think the technology was there to support such a possibility. have a lovely day. steven
ReplyDeletegood morning abe - i'm glad you like it. have a dreamy day. steven
ReplyDeletewhat a marvelous way to start the day!
ReplyDeletehi pauline - straight from one dream into another..... have a dreamy day. steven
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words...I also loved your comment at Abe's blog, about telling your students "a wolf does not bring down a deer in anger"!
ReplyDeleteFirst time visitor, now a follower.
I'm with Pauline, such a nice way to start the day, Steven.
ReplyDeleteWhen the trees get covered with that heavy frost, or clinging snow, the real world and the dream world become one.
ReplyDeleteA Chinese poet - Jia Dao - that is a new discovery for me, too! My sister-in-law in Chinese. She wrote in 'I don't know' in Chinese characters for my mom. I don't know - an answer I use to hate but know I love as I get older. It keeps the mystery.
ReplyDelete"Am I awake in this dream world?"
"I don't know."
Thank, Steven. Beautiful.
Where would we be without our dreams?
ReplyDelete"in the middle of the night,
ReplyDeletei suddenly rise,
draw water
from the deep well"
those words mean a great deal to me.
Stunning imagery.
Thanks for sharing.
Love the print.
ReplyDeleteInteresting- simpatico- I just posted about the dream I had last night - the dead came to reckon with me...Love this post!I can not shake the dream world during the day- like a shadow it is there - but not.
ReplyDeleteLove your snowflakes! Very nice.
ReplyDeleteI dreamed last night that I had three small dogs: two wiener dogs, named Jet and Jetta, and a Boston terrier named Roxy.
Was sad when I woke up and remembered I have no dogs at all at the moment.
Oh well.
jenny stevning - mmm hmmm i don't know. there are days where the space between worlds is almost seamless. then i don't know. steven
ReplyDeletewillow - we'd be asleep in our awakeness. have a lovely evening at the manor. steven
ReplyDeleteliza - when i first read the words i saw the idea of waking in your dreams and taking something from that dreamworld and bringing it into this world. then i saw that really they're only separated by the idea of awake and the idea of sleep. have a lovely evening. steven
ReplyDeleteellen i'm glad! steven
ReplyDeletelinda sue i'll have to pop over and see the sympatico! i've received insight from my dreams but like most people, the detail and clarity of most is lost as soon as i wake up. what's interesting is that even then something of the feel and flavour of the dream colours my day. have a lovely evening. steven
ReplyDeletereya - a friend always suggested to me that all the characters in a dream are me. parts of me. me's as i project them. i wonder who those three puppies are in you reya? have a sweet dc evening. steven
ReplyDeletehello wanda!!! welcome and thankyou for your kind comment! i first realized that about wolves when i read a book by gary paulsen entitled "woodsong". that book did more to help me move away from projecting myself onto situations that are far removed. have a lovely evening. steven
ReplyDeleteI love this, your words and his.
ReplyDeletethankyou very much moira. i'm glad you enjoyed this post. some days the space between what is real and what is a dream is so close as to be hard to distinguish. have a dreamy day. steven
ReplyDeleteI love that image... magical. Dreams can take us places we'd never travel to in our waking life. Beautiful!
ReplyDelete