12 June, 2011

Distant Guzheng Music

Tetsubin


great-granddaughter plays
distant guzheng music
Laolao cannot hear

4 comments:

Hobbes said...

Quite a personal haiku, written at my wife's home during a burning-hot autumn, several years ago.

The sound of the guzheng's strings and the crackle of my hair being fried were all that disturbed the heavy silence of the noonday heat.

The haiga works by likening this to the all-too-silent music of my kettle. Who is the Laolao / grandmother in this case?

speakfreely said...

Interesting. According to various online translation facilities, "Laolao" can mean either "maternal great grandmother", or "noisy".

P.S. Your hair being fried?

MarshalN said...

Looks like the exterior of the tetsubin is acquiring some iron oxide too

Hobbes said...

Dear Carla,

An interesting ambiguity concerning "laolao"!

My hair was being fried by the baking hot sunshine. My ginger hair tends to cook...


Dear MarshalN,

It does look as if it is getting a bit orange in the picture, you're quite right - I hadn't noticed, as it seems less so in real life. I do so love that tetsubin. "Artistic Nippon", I think it was.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes