I have in hand the book Encounter with Nipo-Brazilian Poems. I selected some poems that delicately trace this difficult transition from distant islands to this tropical hell. I am touched by the delicacy with which they allude to delicate themes. The book presents a brief history of the paths of Japanese artistic forms on Brazilian soil. The first immigrants arrived here in 1908. In this article, we will see a little about the 3 main types of poems highlighted in the book and some Brazilian versions of this style of poem that tell a bit about Japanese immigration.
Table of Contents
Haikai Poems (俳句)
Haikai it is a style of poem written in simple language, without rhyme, structured in three lines that total 17 syllables. They use sensory language to capture a feeling or an image. This poetic form expresses aspects of nature and always includes a kigo (a theme word that is usually a flower, or animal, or weather phenomenon). When coming to Brazil, the immigrant Nenpuku Sato received a mission to fulfill from his master:
- Hatta utte haikaikoku o hiraku beshi
- Cultivate the land and build a haiku country. - Kyoshi Takahama
Nenpuku composed his haiku observing tropical nature. An example:
- The brightness
- coffee flowers
- at moonrise;
It fulfilled its mission well, since Brazil is the country in which the most haikuists exist, outside of Japan, and where people of all ethnicities are enchanted by the haiku guilds, unlike what happens in other countries whose peoples are less inclusive than our.
| Ribeira River _ tea harvests song on its banks. Kazue Koyama |
At the sound of the poem by Gonçalves Dias sings the thrush. Reiko Akisue |
On New Year, phone call to Japan. Congratulations! Mitsue Ino |
| Sabiás twittering_ cozy feeling in the hospitable country. Saoko Kosai |
Return to Japan _ in the vast dry field buried dreams. Kazuma Tomishige |
Immigrant Day_ Love the homeland and praise for this country. Haruno Nishida |
Tanka (短歌)
Tanka is a poetic modality with more than 1300 years of history, consisting of 31 syllables linked together, conveying personal feelings. The people who come together to maintain this tradition are true guardians of ancient culture.
| Crossing the street with the blue-eyed daughter-in-law, hands that touch me transmit heat. Reiko Abe |
I started to enjoy football more than... sumo, and so I started blending in with the Brazilians. Asahiko Fujita |
Senryû (川柳)
Senryu is a satirical poem that appeared in the middle of the Edo Period (17th century) and uses modern language to refer to everyday facts.
Many of the poems, written in Japanese, lose their metric in translation; however, the feelings of an entire community are the important aspect of this reading, and remain fresh and intact. Japanese literature will die with its authors, of which there are still a few centenarians, but the new generation together with Brazilian irers of these poetic forms will carry on this tradition, now no longer Japanese, but acclimatized.
| Immigrants have aged that still sing of the homeland. Kobayashi Yoshiko |
Children are not shown the sadness of making a heart from guts. Suga Tokuji |
Being happy is everyone's decision. Happiness will flourish wherever we cultivate. Kazuko Hirokawa |
In 1987, the Haicai Ipê Club was founded in São Paulo under the leadership of Hidekazu Masuda, affectionately known as Master Goga. In 1996, a catalog titled Nature - cradle of haiku, containing 1400 Brazilian kigos, was published in commemoration of the Centennial of Brazil-Japan Friendship.
Like so many other good contributions that the Japanese have brought us, his poetry enriches our view of the world. Let us harmonize, therefore, with nature and with all other peoples, our brothers.
