Jisei (death poems) by Hokushi , Seiju and Kyokusai

Voice; flute (also bass flute); bassoon; guitar; harpsichord; cello; percussion

2007 – 17mn

No recording available

I –

II – Kaite mitari (Hokushi)

III – as soft as possible

IV – Shibaraku mo (Seiju)

V –

VI – Akatsuki ya (Kyokusai)

Words

• II.
  Kaite mitari / keshitari hate wa / keshi no hana
  (Hokushi – died on the twelfth day of the eight month, 1718)
  I write, erase, rewrite, erase again, and then a poppy blooms
  j’écris / efface / écris à nouveau / efface encore / et alors / un coquelicot
• IV.
  Shibaraku mo / nokoru mono nashi / kigi no iro
  (Seiju – died on the twenty-eight day of the eight month, 1779)
  Not even for a moment do things stand still —- witness color in the trees
  Pas même une seconde immobiles / les choses / en témoigne / dans les arbres / la couleur
• VI.
  Akatsuki ya / mizu kanzureba / hasu no oto
  (Kyokusai – died on the twenty-ninth day of July, 1874)
  When you contemplate the waters at day break, you can hear the lotus blossom
  Au point du jour / contempler les eaux / pour pouvoir entendre la fleur de lotus / qui s’ouvre