hiromi suzuki | not losing to the rain

hiromi suzuki is someone i've long admired.

her work has an ineffable grace, a charm and

beauty that eases quietly into your soul and

remains. it's happy, too; happy when it is

sometimes hard to be happy. i think there

must be a joy in her soul that works into

each piece of art she creates. if you stop

by here, you can see for yourself. first,

maybe, read Ame ni mo makezu, a poem

written by Kenji Miyazawa. i found it on

her site. (look, also, at books she's shared.)

ami ni mo makezu

not losing to the rain
not losing to the wind
not losing to the snow nor to summer's heat
with a strong body
unfettered by desire
never losing temper
cultivating a quiet joy
every day four bowls of brown rice
miso and some vegetables to eat
in everything
count yourself last and put others before you
watching and listening, and understanding
and never forgetting
in the shade of the woods of the pines of the fields
being in a little thatched hut
if there is a sick child to the east
going and nursing over them
if there is a tired mother to the west
going and shouldering her sheaf of rice
if there is someone near death to the south
going and saying there's no need to be afraid
if there is a quarrel or a suit to the north
telling them to leave off with such waste
when there's drought, shedding tears of sympathy
when the summer's cold, wandering upset
called a blockhead by everyone
without being praised
without being blamed
such a person
I want to become

--kenji miyazawa

photographs: hiromi suzuki

(of note: another translation of the poem ends

a bit differently. i suppose the real meaning

is, perhaps, somewhere in between the two.

"In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.
Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a Great Man.
This is my goal, the person I strive to become."

i love all of this, especially "cultivating a quiet joy...

count yourself last and put others before you
watching and listening, and understanding")