お彼岸花花ざかりお帰り
ohiganbana hana zakari okaeri
spider lilies
in full bloom
welcome back
I was out taking photos of the spider lilies, which were everywhere (though are mostly gone now; they don’t last long), and this came to me in Japanese. I wrote it on one of the note cards I always carry with me. Then when I got home, I wrote an English version.
The spider lilies bloom every year around the autumn equinox, and last for a week or two. They are also said to be awaiting the dead on the opposite side of the River Sanzu, the river that leads from our world to the next (cf. the River Styx), where they guide the souls to their next incarnation.[1] Hence, the double meaning of the last line.
❦
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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