Tag Archives: haiku

You kiss your mother with that mouth?

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Confanity

“No, but I do eat reptiles.” あの声で蜥蜴食らうか時鳥(Ano koe de tokage kurau ka hototogisu;“With such a sweet voice, do you devour lizards, o lesser cuckoo?”) Definition: You can’t judge a book by its cover. People and things often have aspects that … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And still the generations of the birds sing through our sighing

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Confanity

(Elizabeth Barret Browning, “Patience Taught by Nature”) 鳴くまで待とう時鳥(Naku made matou hototogisu;“We shall wait until it sings – The lovely cuckoo”) Definition: An expression of patience, of waiting for something good to happen or a good opportunity to arise. If the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hot air, cold air

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Confanity

物言えば唇寒し秋の風 (Mono ieba kuchibiru samushi aki no kaze; “When you say something, then your lips will feel the chill of an autumn wind”) Definition: Being nasty will only make you feel bad later; shooting off your mouth invites disaster. Needlessly … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Poetry. Poetry never changes.

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Confanity

What falls away is always? 不易流行 fu.eki.ryuu.kou Literally: not – simple / divination / change – flow – go Alternately: One of Bashō’s principles for writing haiku: that the essence of haiku lies in both the unchanging (不易) and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In which a big head is a form of humility

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Confanity

実るほど頭の下がる稲穂かな (Minoru hodo atama no sagaru inaho ka na; “As modest as a ripened head of rice”) Definition: A description or proverbial example of great modesty befitting true greatness. Just as the ripened “ear” or “head” of rice on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment