Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Yikes. Apologies, got caught up in other things again. There’s a strong possibility I may be heading to Japan for business sometime soon which may also affect my ability to keep a daily pace. Shouldn’t be a major issue, but wanted to let people know.
Previous senryu
- 臨終を旅立ちとする人の知恵
りんじゅうを・たびだちとする・ひとのちえ
The wisdom of / people who see death / as a journey
Notes:
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Nobody in my family has replied to my question yet, so I’m still considering this one “pending”. Usually when they are slow to answer it means they are thinking. I’ll force my wife to answer when she finishes work.
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I know the translation above is valid, but it still doesn’t seem very senryu-like to me and I worry it misses the intent. I still suspect “full of ideas” is more likely than “wisdom” and that this one is about 辞世 (death poems) or famous quotations from people on their deathbeds (like, “People sure seem to have a lot on their minds during their last moments!”).
Current senryu challenge
Volume: Seniors
- 猫に手を貸したいくらい今はひま
Hmm. Fairly simple kanji, at least. I’ve got an idea what it’s about, but I need to ponder this a bit.
Remember to please use the spoiler tag with your translation attempts! Also, please include the reading in kana with your submission.
Everyone is encouraged to participate, no matter your level! Questions and comments are as valued as translation submissions.
Please try not to be disappointed if your translation isn’t selected or if you disagree with the daily choice: the judge isn’t terribly consistent with his grading (and has awful taste!).
Online tools like dictionaries, sentence databases, and even AI translation engines are fair game and can be extremely helpful. Yomichan is particularly handy if you use the Chrome or Firefox browser. The 語源由来辞典 is also an excellent resource for researching the etymology of various words and expressions.
Here are the links to the 356 Japanese originals (spoiler free) and to the the spreadsheet with all the upcoming senryu as well as the translations to date.