Plum Blossom Viewing

Last weekend, I went on an outing for plum blossom viewing. In Japan plums blossom out in winter. (But according to the old calendar it is spring.) Plum blooms in chill air are fabulously beautiful in contrast with snows. In days of old, I prefer cherry but maybe I prefer plum to Cherry now. After I arrived home, I checked the floral language of it, and found it means "厳しい美しさ(strict beauty, severe beauty)" and "艶やかさ(fascinatingly elegant, bewitching)".



Those are exact languages. I thought it is sure the nature of plum bloom is the teeth where is a cloister to deep poem world. If plum bloom is mere beautiful, it would come through only a part of my life. But the bloom's strict beauty came through whole of my existence including my better experience that I faced cold reality and agonized myself etc, and I felt the aroma casts blessings upon all of me.



In fact, when suddenly the aroma was passing through me, I felt the absolute. That is, I felt the aroma went through myself of the past, and there was also future. Then I was not a small existence in present but I was a existence penetrating all. It was a flash affair. But it is sure I went beyond time and space.



Plum bloom is often used by poet in China and Japan. It seems poets have been fascinating with it throughout the ages in this region. The contrast with white snows in chill air and the aroma suddenly comes are really poetic.



A Chinese poet expressed the aroma as "Chill wind freezes aroma of plum ". It is a exact word. Then I tried to compose a English Haiku yesterday with me imaging what I saw in my mind.



"Onto snow ground, a red plum petal was falling, everything started."



"A tear of heaven, flowing down a plum petal, onto my cheek. "



"plum bloom aroma, bringing out the wish on the wind, the time of forgiveness."



I have not anything on great poets, but I could enjoy so much.



I tried to write a blog drastically. :-)



Everyone must come to Japan. :-)



----------------



These days I addicted to this year's Academy Award.



I do think Clint Eastwood is great! I thought he is just a handsome guy.



http://www.afpbb.com/article/1339949



You can see an interview to Clint Eastwood and actors.



----------------



I took the photo. Those are buds of plum blooms.

Have a wonderful weekend!